Kingdom Of Darkness: Curse Of The Shadow Dragon
by MASC
Summary: Every journey, every incident and every turn of the page has led to this moment. The final battle between good & evil is about to begin. Lives will be lost, relationships mended and more secrets revealed. Playtime is over. The finale to the Trinity series
1. Prologue

_**A/N: Wow. Here we are at last. And to think it all started with a crazy idea I came up with while I was in the John… **__**Umm… okay, maybe I didn't need to tell you that bit. But looking back, I'm glad I continued the story when I said I wouldn't. Otherwise, you wouldn't be reading this next batch of insanity that I PROMISE will be even zanier, crazier and more action packed than the others. And all your burning questions will finally be answered, so don't worry. Hang on, folks. It's gonna be bumpy ride…**_

**P R O L O G U E**

_He stood amongst them as a keen observer and as a student within the confines of a small room made entirely of gold. Its shiny, smooth walls and towering pillars were strong enough to support the powerful force that was raging in between. The four men in white oriental garbs with their hands stretched out and feet firmly on the ground strained under the intensity of the magic that was streaming from them. Each stream of energy had their own different color to identify the significance of their purpose. _

_The first man, short yet well-built, held onto his blue stream as a trickle of water began to form beneath his feet. The man known as Emir Wren noticed this as his soft white shoes became drenched and stained with a thick coat of orangey brown mud. He grit his teeth and pushed forward even harder, trying to maintain his balance with the magic stream emanating from him. _

_The other young man with the blond hair, taller and almost bony-like, named Saul Horowitz, maintained his balance with the purple stream as a sudden gust of wind blew into his face. His hair swayed and his clothing waved as his eyes slightly closed from the dry air but still he stood his ground with total determination._

_The young woman named Lara Kal, dark-haired and Amazonian in every way, did not stray from the fire that was raging in front of her as her red beam maintained its course. The sweat from her brow managed to creep its way into her eyes but the woman did not falter. _

_And the older, raven haired Asian man in white, Reiko Jynn-Khan, easily pushed his pulsating green beam forward as the ground beneath him shook and broke apart. Jagged pillars of rock began to shoot upward, nearly missing his face and body yet Khan refused to back down. He held out his hands and continued pushing until his green light was no more. _

_After a bright flash, a mystical sparkle emanated in thin air, materializing into something completely new. The golden amulet that floated before Khan slowly made its way to its master and landed safely in his palm. The magician smiled as he placed the medallion's chain around his neck and showed his companions his prize._

"_You see?" Khan said with a gleam in his eye. "Anything is possible."_

_By now, the other three had given up their attempt to forge their own amulets thus causing the puddle to dissolve, the wind to die down and the fire to extinguish, solely on their own and without repercussion. _

"_Worry not, my friends." Khan placed a friendly hand on Saul and smiled at the others. "In time, you will be able to harness the elements yourselves and work wonders with them." _

"_If only we had more training." Saul sighed, feeling low and defeated._

"_And you shall. Mark my words. There is nothing you can't do if you set your mind to it."_

_Everyone was then pleased to hear a solitary yet loud round of applause coming from behind them. The man wore a red variant of their garb and wore a key dangled from a chain around his neck and smiled at the four with his cat-like gray eyes. The man was Alfonse Tarkin, head of the Mutari council. _

"_Well done, Reiko." Tarkin shook the man's hand. "You've done an exemplary job." _

"_Thank you, sir." Khan bowed. "The trainees are still a bit rusty but with enough practice, they'll manage to accomplish their goal."_

"_Indeed they will." He said as he examined the golden disc. "Amazing, Reiko. Simply amazing. This green gem in the middle? Is that where the magic is stored?"_

_"Yes, sir. Inside this green gem lies the ability to control the element of earth."_

"_Wonderful." Tarkin then noticed the youngest of the trainees. The one who had been observing the entire training run. _

_He stood at the back of the small room, behind a pillar, shyly hiding his face beneath the collar of his teal uniform. Tarkin walked over to the young student and placed a hand on his smooth, golden mane. _

"_And what is your name, boy?"_

_"Astral." He said softly. "Astral Fulgore." _

"_I've taken Astral in as my own personal apprentice." Khan filled him in. "I believe he holds great potential." _

_"Excellent." Tarkin nodded approvingly. "You'll find that our methods are somewhat primitive and ancient but that's what separates us from the outside world. Out there, they have abandoned the old ways and learned to rely on machines to do their bidding."_

"_Is that why we're hidden from the rest of the world?" Astral asked with a gleam in his eye. "Within these mountains?"_

_"Not exactly hidden, my boy. Any of us may choose to leave when we wish, should the life of an alchemist prove to be overwhelming. Others may come and go to visit and study our ways and the ways of others for their own intellectual benefit. We're here to uphold a peaceful fraction of the earth and keep its heart and soul burning forevermore. Should the outside world become too villainous, corrupt and wrathful, keep in mind that there will always be a place on this earth that will remain the way it was before. When all the world was young, peaceful and just."_

_"That's why Mutari is so important to us." Khan said in agreement. "Do you understand, Astral?"_

_"I do, sir." The young man smiled._

_Khan nodded again and turned to his students, dismissing them all back to their homes. As they left one by one, Astral stood by his teacher's side until the middle-aged man glanced at him. _

"_You can go, too." Was all he said. _

_Astral didn't need to be told twice as he ran off to be with his friends and enjoy the rest of the day. Tarkin and Khan then left the training room and walked along the halls of the great city of gold as its tallest and oldest monument stood proudly in the kingdom square. The Golden Eagle of Sannindi with its wings spread out, face lunging forward and talons grasping the rock that stood above the surrounding waterfalls always made Tarkin beam with pride of his Mutari heritage. _

"_Just look at it, Reiko." He said. "Our forefathers would have been proud to see what a city we've become. We've come such a long way."_

"_Indeed we have." Khan then turned as he walked away. "If you'll excuse me…"_

_"Of course."_

"… _I have to start planning my own future."_

_Tarkin wandered the courtyard in the lower chambers of the city center, his eyes never leaving the beauty of the shrine. It was then when one of his colleagues approached him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder._

"_Sir?" He said. "You have some visitors in your waiting room."_

"_Thank you." Tarkin nodded as he took off._

_Past another hallway, under an arch, through the golden curtains and onto a crimson carpet, Tarkin was pleasantly surprised to see a man he had known all too well. He stood tall and well-built, a small black mustache that matched his hair and held his wife closely. She was a slender, youthful looking woman with a body of her own. Hair as gold as the walls that surrounded them and her bright blue eyes stuck out more than her husband's casual gray._

"_Hallbjörn. Jezelle." Tarkin shook the man's hand and hugged his wife. "Welcome."_

_"It's good to see you again, Alfonse." Jezelle said with a gleam in her eye._

"_What do I owe the pleasure of your company this fine evening?" _

"_We're on our way back from a visit to the Trinity." Hallbjörn explained. "We were making sure everything was under control."_

_"Under control? Has something happened?"_

"_No. But God forbid anything bad should happen to a peaceful group of towns like those. They're so much like this place."_

_"That's excellent news."_

"_I was hoping I could talk to you about a sort of… project of mine." _

"_A project?"_

_"Yes."_

_For a brief second, Tarkin glanced over to Jezelle and noticed her hand was placed over her belly and her gaze pointed downward. Changing the conversation only briefly, he turned his attention to her and put a hand on her shoulder._

"_Jezelle?" He started. "Are you alright?" _

"_Oh, yes." She chuckled. "I'm doing fine."_

_"We have some wonderful news, Alfonse."_

_Tarkin just stood there, raising an eyebrow, anticipating her next word. "Yes?"_

"_Hal and I are to have our first child." _

_His expression widened with joy as he gloriously wrapped his arms around the woman and shook hands with the proud father-to-be. _

"_That's excellent news, Hal! Congratulations!"_

_"Thank you."_

_"What are you going to name it?"_

"_I don't know." The young blonde bubbled. "It all depends on what we have. But maybe I'll name her--"_

_"You mean you'll name HIM," Hal playfully interrupted. "Him, dear. We're having a boy."_

_"Oh, don't you start. We're having a girl!"_

"_Well whatever you name him or… HER." Tarkin winked at the mother-to-be. "I'm sure the baby will be in good hands." _

_Tarkin turned away and led the happy young couple to his living quarters, where they each took a seat on a gold satin armchair. Hal could see the look of curiosity on his old friend's face and decided to jump right back to their previous conversation. _

"_About my project, Alfonse…" He went on. _

"_Yes." His eyes fixed on the man. _

"_I know you and your men are capable of achieving such wonders with your magic abilities."_

"_Yes, that's right."_

"_Tell me." He paused for a second. "Would it be possible to transfer some of that magic and store it into something small. For protection, that is."_

"_I don't understand."_

"_Like for instance… a crystal?"_


	2. A Gizmo Guy Walks Into A Bar

**_A/N: So... anyone ever see 'Return of the Jedi'?_**

**L A Z Y T O W N**

**&**

**THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS**

**CURSE OF THE SHADOW DRAGON**

Four months had passed since the death of Catalina. The fall of the black tower. The latest failure in their effort to bring down Remus. Stephanie had swore to them several times now that the next time would be their last. There would be no going back. It was do or die. Failure was not an option anymore.

Stingy had been taken accidentally by Remus and his gang of misfits during their last encounter. There was little struggle since Remus had turned the boy to stone. Stephanie wanted so much to go out and track down the last two amulets now that she knew their location but something inside her prevented her from doing so. She wanted to find her friend first. Above all, more than anything, she wanted to find Stingy.

Trixie more than shared her enthusiasm with her best friend and with enough convincing towards their allies, they managed to postpone their search for the amulets and begin a new one for Stingy. Meanwhile, as the outside forces searched for their missing comrade, Stephanie and her friends began their training with Sportacus and Clyde. If they were to stand a chance for one last encounter with Remus and his minions of darkness, they would have to work together as a well organized faction. Their routine was simple: Everyday after school, they'd report to the Trinity Watch HQ and spend three hours with Sportacus, learning weapons handling, then another three hours with Clyde, learning hand-to-hand combat. Once the school year was over with, they managed to focus mainly on their training and await further word from the Watchmen.

During the four months, several CrazyTowners had been seen cavorting around in a new bar that had just opened up near the backwoods. Recently, a regular from the bar, which was curiously named 'Fish Bites', claimed to have spotted an odd decoration in the back of the bar, located just behind a fish tank. The description of the decoration fit Stingy's completely from the enraged facial expression, to the golden spear it was wielding. Trixie's hopes and spirits were lifted as well as Stephanie's and the others' but they had to take precautions. If something were to happen unexpectedly, they would soon lose not only their friend for good but the map and its directions towards the last two magic amulets.

Ziggy and Pixel now found themselves walking along the dusty, egg-themed streets of CrazyTown. The chickens clucking around the Spaghetti Western of a town like casual citizens caught the candy enthusiast off-guard as he shrieked at the sight of a wandering hen that was pecking his way.

"Gah!" He froze as the chicken came closer.

"What is it?" Pixel sighed, turning his head to notice Ziggy's predicament. "What's wrong? It's just a chicken."

"Yeah but look at it! It's moving and stuff! Aah!"

"What?"

"It tried to bite me!"

"It's just pecking around. It's curious."

"Tell it to leave me alone."

"Yeah, okay. Let me translate in chicken-talk." Pixel responded sarcastically. "I'm sure it'll listen."

"Okay, go ahead!"

Pixel frowned at the sincerity of his companion's reply. "…You idiot."

"Come on, man! Make with the chicken-talk!"

"What are you so afraid of?"

"I'm used to seeing them fried, stripped or roasted on a platter stuffed with gummy bears!"

"You what?"

"Hey, you keep to your holiday traditions and I'll keep to _mine_!"

"We don't have time for this!"

"OW!"

Pixel grabbed Ziggy by the ear and hauled him away from the small chicken, ignoring the fact that the animal pierced into his friend's shin in the process. Ziggy's screams and whining were ignored for the rest of the trip as Pixel activated the MP3 player in his earpiece and blissfully drowned out his friend's moaning with the electronic tunes of one Eric Prydz.

"Pixel! I'm bleeding! Seriously! Pixel!"

"…Uh-huh. That's nice."

An hour had passed since the chicken incident and the boys were already reaching the outskirts of town, heading towards the forest. Ziggy was completely unfamiliar with his surroundings and began shaking in place, gripping his lollipop like a weapon. Pixel noticed this and rolled his eyes.

"Man, we need to talk." He said.

"Ab-b-bout what?" Ziggy looked around and noticed the sun starting to set.

"That lollipop."

"What about it?" Ziggy's fear suddenly shattered once he heard his most cherished item was in question.

"Dude, how old are you?"

"I'm seventeen."

"Yeah. That's what I thought."

"So?"

"So? You're still hanging around with that huge, novelty piece of candy like if you were seven again."

"What's wrong with that?"

"It's weird!"

"How is it weird? I like candy!"

"And I understand that! But to carry that thing everywhere you go like some kind of doll… ugh."

"You're saying I should get rid of it?"

"Get rid of it! Eat it, toss it, drop it--I don't care! Just stop carrying it around like an extra limb! It's sickening!"

"I don't see how it's sickening."

"Well first off, that's the same damn lollipop you've had since we were kids! How can you _not_ consider that gross!?"

"Umm…" Ziggy thought it over as he stuffed the candy in his mouth. "… It's got sentimental value?"

"Gimme that!" Pixel snatched the candy away.

"WAIT! NO! PLEASE DON'T HURT IT!" Ziggy begged for his beloved lollipop.

"Oh, I'm breaking it…"

"No, wait! What if I throw it away once we get back home?"

Pixel hesitated as he held the candy over his knee, preparing to shatter it. "…Well…"

"Please?" Ziggy used his baby blue eyes to gain his friend's pity.

"…Oh, all right."

"Yes!" Ziggy reclaimed his sweet treat and stuffed it in his backpack.

"Now let's keep walking. We're almost there."

Moments passed and the two still found themselves journeying forward to a bar they started to believe wasn't actually there. The trees and bushes around them looked the same as the ones they had just passed and it was apparent both boys were losing their patience.

Ziggy sighed, "Why are we doing this, again?"

"Because." Pixel grumbled. "Dramatik and the Professor never came back. Stephanie left it to us to investigate and see what the holdup was."

"Why didn't she just send us to bring back Stingy altogether?"

"She's got a plan. We don't want to ruin it for her, now do we?"

"But what's there to plan? If we see our friend, all we have to do is snatch him and take him back home. I'm sure whoever owns the bar will understand."

"Stephanie feels it might be a trap."

"A trap?"

"She just wants us to be careful."

"Careful." He muttered. "Well then why couldn't we have at least brought an airship?"

"Because! An airship only screams out for trouble! We're trying to be low-key here."

"Oh. Hey, look!" Ziggy pointed across the field. "I think that's it!"

Pixel and Ziggy finally arrived before the bar, wooden and creaky with a very wide range big enough to double as a hotel. They looked up to see the flashing neon lights that said: D&D's FISH BITES BAR & POOL. The rockabilly music playing from inside aroused Pixel's curiosity but the bottle that flew outside, shattering before Ziggy's face dissuaded the candy eater's interest.

"Oh, yeah right!" He gulped as he turned to walk away.

"Hey, get back here!" Pixel grabbed him by the ear again. "Be a man for once."

The gizmo guy and the candy connoisseur slowly stepped in and took in the sights before them. There were groups of men seated at tables playing poker under a cloud of cigar smoke, drunks passed out at the bar, some rowdy youngsters shooting pool in the corner, a couple of roughnecks arm wrestling, scantily-clad women flirting with the loneliest of the CrazyTowners and a band playing onstage, protected by a fence of chicken wire.

The bartender noticed one of the moochers passed out on his counter and looked upwards, snapping his fingers to alert his bouncers. It was then when two large men in matching black T-shirts walked over to the drunk and hassled him for his tab. When he refused, he was dragged and taken outside for a ritual beating much to the LazyTowners' horror.

"Oh, good God…" Ziggy gasped. "Pixel, I think this was a bad idea."

Just then, a bloody tooth flung onto Pixel's forehead. "…Ugh. Yeah, maybe you're right."

"Geez, this place is like Roadhouse times ten!"

"Where's the Swayze when you need him?"

The hooting and hollering of the drunk CrazyTowners accompanied the man's beating, making Pixel and Ziggy even more uncomfortable with the situation. They slowly backed themselves away and wandered the rest of the building, taking a look at the strange, aquatic décor that was visible through the clouds of cigarette smoke. Pixel scanned the area in subterfuge, tucking his sensors beneath the long white sleeve of his sweater and pretending to be captivated by the large neon fish tank that stood before him.

Ziggy awkwardly squeezed himself through the bar tables and maneuvered his way past the rowdy poker players, trying not to come into physical contact with any of them so as to avoid an incident. His eyes squinted and his heart pounded from fear of the possibility that he might eventually end up like the freeloader who was now outside coughing up his insides. Ziggy made it past the tables and searched the area, seeing nothing but more and more fish decorations ranging from dangling dehydrated puffer fish, swordfish mounted on the walls and strobe lights with built in aquariums. But still no sign of his long lost friend.

"Nothing." He muttered under his breath.

"Hey, you!" An intimidating voice beckoned.

"Crap." Ziggy gulped before turning around to see the bartender pointing a finger at him. "Y-yes?"

"What are you doin' wanderin' around like that?"

"Oh, I was just, uhh…" He stammered for a bit. "…Uhh… a-adm-miring, your, uhh… b-bar."

"Well this ain't no museum, son!" He slammed his fist on the counter. "This here's a good ol' fashioned bar! In here, we drink till we beat each other senseless for sleepin' with someone else's wife!"

"Oh. Uhh… okay."

"Say, wait a minute! You ain't even old enough to shave, let alone drink!"

Ziggy didn't know what to say. Surely there was no harm in just admiring the strange yet beautiful décor of the bar but judging from the mean look in the bartender's eyes and the shotgun he was polishing, that didn't seem to be the case. But before the situation could escalate, two men in matching black suits entered the bar and stopped everyone in their tracks.

"Well now." The short bearded one said. "What's all this, then?"

"Are you lot misbehaving?" The taller one inquired. "Don't make us have to close down early again."

Pixel watched from behind the safety of the angelfish and was surprised to discover who the owners of the bar were. "Oh no. It's them."

"There ain't no problem here, Mr. Piranha." The bartender smiled at Doug. "It's just that this young'n' over here is actin' all kinds of suspicious 'n' stuff."

"Oh yeah?" Doug turned his attention to a cowering Ziggy. "Wait a tic. I know you, don't I?"

"Uhh… no?" Ziggy shrugged, hoping Doug was as stupid as he looked.

"Oh. Sorry."

Mission accomplished. Ziggy sighed with relief as the Piranha came closer to him, putting an arm around his shoulder and keeping him safe from the dregs of CrazyTown.

"Now look 'ere," He started. "It's obvious he's just a wandering stranger, meaning nobody any harm and probably looking for a place to spend this fine Saturday evening."

"Yeah!" Ziggy went along.

"So nobody better lay a finger on 'im or else it's the gulper for ya!"

"Yeah, the gul--the what!?"

"Oh, no need to worry your young head about it! Say, how would you like a job working for me?"

"Doing what?"

* * *

"This is humiliating." A disgusted and deeply perturbed Pixel said as he and Ziggy wandered around the bar, wearing vibrantly colored fish costumes and serving drinks to the hoi polloi.

Hours had passed since their arrival and now the quaint, aquatic-themed bar known as 'Fish Bites' had turned into a sleazy night club complete with double the violence, double the rowdiness, triple the riffraff for some odd reason and double the rockabilly music. Mixed with this highly unusual crowd was the upper-class twits of CrazyTown, who would later serve a purpose for the bar. As things progressively settled down, however, Doug and Dinsdale took the stage away from the local band and commandeered the microphone for the night's festivities.

"Well 'allo, 'allo, 'allo!" Doug began. "How's everyone tonight?"

A wave of shouts, hoots, gurgles and random bodily noises spread across the air towards the Piranhas while Pixel stood in a corner, refusing to tread any further in his ridiculous polyester goldfish costume.

"Pixel, you're not doing anything!" Ziggy complained, hidden in the belly of the purple and blue fabric whale. "You're gonna get us into trouble!"

"Why'd you accept this lousy job, anyway!? We have a job to do!" The gizmo guy griped ad he went along his way, serving another round of scotch. "Besides! We're not even old enough to serve alcohol!"

"Hey, you two!" Dinsdale intervened from the stage. "Pipe down or I'll thump ya!"

"Sorry." They muttered.

"Oi." A man in khaki, glazed with sweat and dirt signaled the rainbow whale over. "Couple of Foster's."

"Um…" Ziggy panicked. "…What?"

"Beer, you overgrown trout!" Another sweaty man in khaki snapped with his thick Australian accent. "On the double!"

"Y-yes, sir!"

"Anyways…" Doug continued, after giving his introduction. "We've got a lot of interesting stuff for you tonight! Real quality merchandise we brought back from our last, erm, excavation!"

More cheers, random obscenities and fart noises followed.

"Let's bring out our first item!" Doug pointed at his brother as he walked back onstage, holding what seemed like an old, rusty machine gun. "You see that there? What Dinsy's got in his hand? This, me lads, happens to be an authentic World War II, Vicker's machine gun!"

"Whoa…" Pixel's jaw dropped along with the vodka he was supposed to be serving to the table before him.

"We found this beaut just hangin' around in a museum!" He snickered. "A museum for Christ's sake! So we thought to ourselves, 'Erm, Dinsy'?"

"Yes, Doug?" Dinsdale played along.

" Ha ha, 'How would you feel if we let a perfectly good machine gun like this collect dust in a boring place like this when we could sell it for its worth and let it live again'?"

"Well, er, 'I'd say it'd be a crime against our economy if we did such a thing! Let's bust him loose and sell the old girl'!"

"HAHAHA!"

The crowd laughed along with the insane Piranhas as they began reaching up with their hands full of money, shouting out offers. Doug smiled as he took the mic once more, "Bidding begins at 5,000! Cash!"

"5,400!" Shouted a CrazyTowner.

"5,400 and one red cent!"

"Oh, this is gonna be a long night." Pixel groaned as he went along his way.

After what seemed like an eternity of mindless bidding for stolen valuables, things suddenly took an interesting turn. Dinsdale returned to the stage, wheeling something hidden behind a black drape, which immediately brought a smile to Doug's face.

"Ah, now this 'ere…" He placed his fingers on a few random corners of the drape. "…This truly is a masterpiece! A work of pure craftsmanship made entirely out of one's own stupidity in the heat of the moment!"

"Wait a minute…" Ziggy and Pixel exchanged looks.

"I give you…" The drape flung off like a band-aid, revealing the cold rock statue that was once Stingy. "… Stingy, the Dumb-arse! Bidding begins at 10,000!"

There was absolute silence amongst the crowds of people. They had either spent all their money, passed out from the cheap liquor and booze, or just didn't give a hoot anymore. A desperate Doug moved his hands about, trying to convince someone to at least make a petty offer.

"Anyone?" He looked around sheepishly. "Anyone? Anyone at all?"

Dinsdale gulped and widened his shirt collar as the residents of CrazyTown, both rich and rowdy, schlepped themselves out of the smoky barroom and out into the real world. With a sigh and a shrug, Doug fingered the money in his hand and chuckled with glee. "Well! You can't win 'em all! Ain't that right, Dinsy me old son?"

"That it is, Douggie!"

"So, uhh…" Ziggy began as he removed his headpiece. "…Are we done for the night?"

"Eh?" Doug had almost forgotten about his hired help. "Oh, yeah. Sure, why not?"

"Oh, thank God…" Pixel wasted no time in removing the entire outfit and folding it under his arms.

"Just move that statue back into the storage room, all right?" Doug tossed a key over to Pixel.

Pixel eyeballed the key with anticipation but refrained from doing anything until the Piranhas were out of view. He signaled Ziggy to help him wheel Stingy back into his holding area while the brothers sat at a nearby table and counted their money, splitting it up evenly.

As the two friends carefully moved the statue across the stage, they could see the same obsessive and sleepy-eyed expression Stingy had always had as if he was still flesh and bone. The golden spear he was wielding made it a dead giveaway.

"Look at him." Pixel scoffed. "He looks like he just took it from some eight year old kid!"

As they approached the closed door, hidden in the shadows offstage, Pixel quickly activated his wristband and scanned the key thoroughly, memorizing the design and shape. Once he was done, he used the key to unlock the door and place his old friend in the middle of the storage closet, where all kinds of other stolen material awaited the next night's bidding.

"And so we leave you here for now, Stingy." Pixel muttered under his breath as he backed away. "Come on, Ziggy."

"But--"

"Come on."

Ziggy and Pixel returned from their task and OK'd their delivery much to Doug's appreciation. Pixel handed the key back to the fat bearded Piranha and turned to leave when Doug stopped them in their tracks. "Hang on a minute!"

Ziggy was surprised to see a wad of rolled up hundreds land in his hands. "Wow…"

"Say…" Pixel suddenly liked the idea of working for conmen as he too received his reward.

"There's plenty more where that came from!" Doug winked. "Same time tomorrow?"

"Uhh…" Ziggy and Pixel exchanged glances again. "…Sure!"

* * *

Later that night, as the moon pierced through the gray clouds and navy blue skies, a silent figure crept through the vacant bar shrouded in darkness. It made its way slowly across the tables, some fallen to the floor and others still standing intact, and avoided making any noise. The extremely high-tech night vision goggles the stranger wore allowed sneaking around the bar that much easier, so running into trouble seemed like an impossibility.

The figure then ascended the steps to the stage, holding a copy of the key Doug had given Pixel hours earlier. His scanning and recording of the key's design proved successful as the stranger now found itself opening the door and walking slowly inside the closet. Slowly and carefully, the figure in black closed the door and turned the light switch on, deactivating the now useless goggles. Extending its left hand, the figure now appeared to be wielding the ever-powerful Trinity Crystal, the one stone comprised of the three crystals from each of the Trinity.

The crystal was placed firmly over the statue's chest as a pulsating white light began to emanate from the core of the gem. Small crackles of white static began to crawl all over the statue, melting away the stone and crumbling it up in other places as the white light grew stronger. Soon it was apparent that the prisoner was moving now, taking large breaths of air and closing his eyes from the intense light before him. After it vanished, Stingy dropped to the floor but the stranger in the cloak managed to catch him and the golden spear, preventing any noise from leaving the room.

Out of breath, a very sweaty Stingy looked up to see the black hood before him, staring with those dark green lenses. He was startled for a bit but didn't make a sound, aside from the constant panting.

"Who…" He began, all the while catching his breath. "…Who are you?"

In a heartbeat, the stranger removed the hood and goggles to reveal a pale-skinned, Asian beauty with soft auburn hair and long, droopy pigtails and a pair of cat-like amber eyes.

She held him firmly and whispered to him softly. "…Hey you."

"Trixie." He smiled as they wrapped each other in a tight embrace.

They held each other close for a good while until they separated, looking into each other's eyes. It was common knowledge that these two were well-known for their constant bickering, their childish squabbles and endless need to outdo one another for whatever the cause. But after a four month absence from him, Trixie couldn't believe she was holding him now in his arms, safe and sound, much to her joy.

"We…" She began, taking a close look at him. "…We have to get you home."

"Home?"

"We're in CrazyTown right now. I'll explain later…"

"Trixie," He said, placing a hand on her face, gently caressing it. "…Thanks."

"Hey." She smiled. "What are friends for?"

Trixie put her hand over his and kissed it, before finally succumbing to her emotions and leaned forward. Stingy followed her example and leaned in as well, ready to meet her lips with his when suddenly,

"Aww, how cute!" Doug broke the mood, forcing the two to look up at him in horror. "Oh, please! Don't mind me! I'm just a casual observer!"


	3. Pink Equals Pain

_**A/N: I don't think anyone will ever picture Stephanie the same way again…**_

**II**

Trixie and Stingy followed the two honky-tonks down the moist and murky path of the black stone corridors. Their hands were bound together with shackles that were aged about a century, rusty and creaky yet effective nonetheless. As they walked, Trixie looked back and saw another pair of bouncers, peculiarly dressed in the same type of western garb and carrying rifles as well. That's when they heard a voice singing in the distance in a low key, soft yet very disturbing.

"…_Oh Danny boy… the pipes, the pipes are calling…"_

"What was that?" Trixie looked around as she continued moving.

"Quiet!" One of the guards ordered.

"…_Form glen to glen and down the mountain side…"_

"Seriously, you don't hear that!?"

"I said be quiet!"

"… _The summer's gone and all the flowers are dying…"_

"Who is that?"

"Just shut up and keep walking, pigtails."

"Fine."

They continued walking down the narrow hallways, almost completely surrounded by darkness with only a meager flashlight living on its last battery cell to guide the way. Trixie and Stingy both grew impatient, their legs beginning to sore and their wrists chafing like crazy.

"How much further?" Stingy asked.

"Almost there now." Another guard replied. "Just keep quiet."

"Where are you taking us?"

"… _I am bound for the promised land…"_

"Oh, here we go again." Trixie sighed.

_"I am bound for the promised land…"  
_

"Listen, this is getting way to creepy for me and--"

"I said stop talking!" The guard behind her raised his rifle threateningly. "Or so help me!"

"_O who will come and go with me… I am bound for the promised land…" _

There was another moment of silence as the two prisoners followed their captors around another turn in the tunnel that seemed to have no end. Trixie was growing frightened for her safety but the safety of Stingy, however--who had just been reanimated thirty minutes ago, was foremost on her mind. He had barely been able to stand, let alone walk this long distance, when Doug Piranha's cowboy lackeys came to take them away. Now it was evident that Stingy was growing weary and might pass out at any moment.

"Hang in there, Stingy…" She whispered to him. "… Don't give them the satisfaction of watching you fall…"

"I'm so… tired…" He panted. "… I don't think… I can't…"

"Yes, you can. Stay with me."

_"In the jungle, the mighty jungle… the lion sleeps tonight…"_

"What?" She raised an eyebrow.

"_In the jungle, the mighty jungle… the lion sleeps tonight…" _

Stingy and Trixie exchanged glances, shrugged and continued walking along, swaying their heads side to side rather merrily whilst chanting in unison,

"_A-wimoweh! A-wimoweh! A-wimoweh! A-wimoweh! A-wimoweh! A-wimoweh!"_

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!!" The guard finally fired a round into the air, silencing the voices. "Now keep moving!"

"Hey, nice outfit by the way." Trixie scoffed. "Don't you know westerns are dead?"

"You keep running that mouth of yours, little missy, and you'll be dead with 'em."

After another brief walk through the catacombs of the bar, Trixie and Stingy were freed from their shackles but not from the prison as they soon found themselves being thrown on a wet, hard and stony tile floor. The darkness still remained and only grew bigger once they saw the dim flashlight wander off into the distance. Stingy remained on the ground, exhausted and worn out as Trixie kneeled to his side, her hands gently placed around his shoulders.

"Are you okay?"

"I just need… to catch my breath…"

"Who ith that?" A voice suddenly emerged.

Trixie immediately recognized the lisp. "Professor? Is that you?"

"Aunt Trudy?"

"No, you idiot! It's me! Trixie!"

"Trudy, Trikthie--whatever."

"Where are you?"

"Here… with you… and Dramatik."

"Dramatik's with you? Where? I can't see either of you!"

"Oh, the pain!" The thespian groaned.

"Not now, you thtupid oaf! Can't you thee they've gotten Trikthie and Thtinchee!?"

"How long have you two been here?" She asked as she moved around the blackness of the cell.

"Oh… a few dayth, I gueth."

"What happened? Did they catch you trying to bust Stingy out?"

"No."

"Did the Piranhas recognize you and decide to throw you in here as a precaution?"

"No."

"Did you get into a fight with the bouncers?"

"No."

"Then what happened?"

"Dramatik did another thtupid monologue over the karaoke machine!"

"Oh." Trixie shrugged. "…Yeah, that'd do it, I guess."

"WHAT!? How dare you!?" Dramatik shouted somewhere in the darkness. "I don't have to take that from such uncultured heathens as yourselves!"

"Hey, here's an idea! Shut up or I'll kidney-punch you!"

"Ha! You'll have to find me, fir--OWW!"

"What'd I tell you?" Trixie laughed as she triumphantly stood next to the skinny man in the black turtleneck.

"Insolent woman! Cease your tomboyish ways and allow me to continue pouring my heart and soul!"

"Huh?"

_"Ol' man river… that ol' man river…"_

"You mean that was _you _singing!?" She shuddered. "Ugh."

"Tho what do we do now?" The Professor felt his way around the prison and stood alongside Dramatik. "The four of uth are thuppothed to be put to death tomorrow. I don't know about you guyth but I have other planth!"

"Don't worry, doc. Everything's gonna be all right."

"How do you know?"

"Oh, trust me. I know."

* * *

She walked inside, well aware of what she was getting herself into, and took a moment to study every roughneck, thug and hooligan spread out across the bar. As she walked past a couple of tables, the hooting and hollering began. Her small and slender body had matured reasonably enough for them to call her attention, her hair maintained its bright rosy color and her eyes were still powerful enough to melt a man's heart.

But something about her now seemed a little bit different. As if this pink-haired beauty walking before them was just a disguise for something much more. She looked at the bartender and noticed his hands tucked beneath the counter. She grinned slightly and shook her head.

"You won't need that."

"Need what?"

"That shotgun you're hiding."

"…It's just a safety precaution, ma'am."

"Oh, I see." She nodded. "And how many young women have passed by here, causing trouble?"

"One too many." A familiar cockney voice caught the young woman off guard.

She turned her head ever so slightly to see Doug lighting a cigar at the corner of the bar counter. "Doug Piranha."

"Stephanie, is it?" Doug winked. "Right, I remember you. Your friends stopped by last night."

"If you did anything to them, there's going to be trouble."

"I'm shaking in me boots."

"Where are they?"

With just a single look from their employer, Doug's goons immediately stood up from their tables and gathered behind Stephanie, ready to pounce on her. One of them slowly removed a knife from his pocket so as to avoid detection but Stephanie could see it from the corner of her eye. She remained quiet and still for the time being, however, as she continued to demand the location of her friends.

"Last chance, Doug." She balled up a fist. "…Where are they?"

Doug scoffed and signaled his men to attack but the pink-haired girl was already one step ahead. She quickly dodged the hooligan's knife as it swung past her neck, barely missing it by a few inches, then grabbed his arm and hurled him across the room where he crashed into a nearby table full of CrazyTowners. Stephanie was now underway in a barroom brawl and found herself ducking and dodging every punch thrown at her, eventually striking her assailants back with a vengeance.

She flipped herself over a table and brought the whole thing down, launching it towards several more of the drunk ruffians. Her years of dancing then proved useful as she twirled and cart-wheeled away towards a pool table, where one of the cues was resting there as if it had been waiting for her the whole time. She twirled the wooden stick around like a maniac and took out anyone who came her way, knocking them in the head, jabbing them in the stomach and sweeping them off their feet.

One of the men managed to sneak up behind her and place her arms in a tight lock but his plan backfired as he found himself being used as leverage against the all-comers that rushed forward. Stephanie kicked and pushed away anyone who dared to come near her then forced her body to the side, dragging her captor with her. Her feet managed to touch the edge of the counter and allow her to launch herself backwards, forcing the man behind her to knock into one of the giant fish tanks, cracking it ever so slightly. Stephanie was now free from his grasp and backed away from him as he came running towards her, his fists swinging about.

She only mocked the poor fool who challenged her and took him out in no time with a sturdy fist to the stomach, a mean left hook to the face and a massive uppercut to finish the job. When she realized she was done with every single tough guy CrazyTown had to offer, who were now spread out across the floor, she set her sights to Doug and winked.

"Your turn." She said.

"Ah, no, no, no!" Doug cowered his way against the chicken wire, where the band stood there helplessly. "You lot! Do something!"

"Who? Us?" The band leader pointed at himself. "Well… okay…"

Expecting for the boys in the band to get in there and fight, Doug was completely annoyed when they instead did what they were hired to do in the first place: Play a song.

"No, you idiots!" Doug protested but they kept playing anyway.

Stephanie chuckled and started for the Piranha when she heard a whistle that caught her attention. She turned around and looked at the bar entrance, where Dinsdale stood in front of another large group of ruffians, ready to beat the pink off her.

"Oh, come on…" She sighed.

"_There was beer all over the dance floor… and the band was playing rhythm and blues." _

Stephanie began round two by reaching for a stray billiard ball and flinging it at Dinsdale's forehead, forcing him to order the attack in retaliation. Stephanie raised her eyebrows mockingly and back-flipped her way on top of the counter.

"_You got down and did the gator and half an hour later, you were barfing all over your girlfriend's shoes…"_

She saw the bartender already pointing his rifle at her but she quickly shoed him in the face and put him down for the night then got back to work on Dinsdale's boys.

"_But the Greeks don't want no freaks! The Greeks don't want no freaks! Just put a little smile on them rosy cheeks, 'cuz the Greeks don't want no freaks!" _

"Let's go!" Stephanie exclaimed, doing a sort of ballet move on the counter which enabled her to kick back plenty of the men.

"_GATOR!!" _

Stephanie saw the shot glass caddy dangling above her and armed herself with various types of glassware, hurling them at her opponents. She caught one in the mouth, creating a small glass explosion that no doubt found its way down his throat, while another was unlucky enough to be temporarily blinded.

"_She was the pride and the passion of Dixie… She did exactly what her daddy had planned."_

When Stephanie ran out of glasses, she jumped behind the counter and started hurling the wine and champagne bottles at them, much to Doug's horror.

"_She was the perfect little sister until somebody missed her and they found her in the bushes with the boys in the band."_

"NO!" He clenched his heart. "Not the Château Margaux!"

Stephanie nodded rather mischievously as she broke the bottle over the defenseless Piranha's head then pulled him over to use as a shield against the CrazyTowners.

"_But the Greeks don't want no freaks! The Greeks don't want no freaks! So put a great big smile on them rosy cheeks 'cuz the Greeks don't want no freaks!" _

Stephanie dropped Doug to the floor and slid across the counter, punching and waving her fists maniacally until she reached the ground again with a perfect landing. She saw a swordfish mounted on the wall and removed it from the brackets, wielding it with precision and scaring off a couple of Dinsdale's men.

"_No, the Greeks don't want no freaks! Said the Greeks don't want not freaks! Just put that monster smile on them rosy cheeks, 'cuz the Greeks don't want no freaks!" _

It was obvious she was enjoying herself, seeing the looks on their faces as they stumbled out of the bar, onto the floor or into the wall. Dinsdale wearily carried himself over to his fallen brother and helped him up but Stephanie stopped them in their tracks, pointing the swordfish threateningly at them.

"You two aren't going anywhere."

"Look, little girl…" Dinsdale said out of breath. "… Let's listen to reason, eh?"

"No." She moved the fish closer. "My friends. _Now_."

Dinsdale nodded and slowly got up on his feet, leaving an immobilized Doug behind for now. She slowly followed him to the entrance of the bar, her hand still firm against the fin of the dead fish. He paused for a moment then looked at her.

"You're crazy. You know that?"

"Maybe. But at least I've got the upper hand. And once I get my friends back, we're going to find a way to beat Remus for good. And you and your brother will be spending time in jail for a long, long time."

"You can't beat Remus. Now that he's got Khan on his side, there's no telling what they'll be capable of doing together."

"We'll see about that. But for now--"

Stephanie was put down unexpectedly when one of the entrance doors swung open, knocking her in the face and onto the dirty floor. In came Ziggy, wearing his oversized whale costume again, and Pixel, who's mood about his goldfish outfit seemed different from the day before--presumably because of the 500 dollar tip. They noticed the entire bar was trashed, glasses shattered, puddles of liquor, wine and beer lying next to the regulars on the floor as well as the familiar pink-haired girl who was now among them.

"Uh-oh…" Ziggy gulped.

"Way to go, genius." Pixel said under his breath.

"Boys!" Dinsdale lovingly put his arms around the two. "I've never been so happy to see you in those daft looking outfits!"

Pixel looked at Ziggy awkwardly and shrugged, turning his attention to the Piranha. "Uhh… sure. No problem."

* * *

**Songs:**

**Danny Boy, an old Irish folk song - written by Frederick Weatherly**

**Bound For The Promised Land, an old American folk song - written by Samuel Stennett**

**The Lion Sleeps Tonight by The Tokens**

**Ol' Man River, from the musical "Show Boat" - written by Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein II**

**The Greeks Don't Want No Freaks by The Eagles**


	4. Busting Loose

_**A/N: Now it wouldn't be a complete homage to Return of the Jedi without mention of the infamous gold bikini, now would it? Be warned, though. Things could get REALLY disturbing…**_

**III**

Pixel and Ziggy once again found themselves catering to the alcoholic needs of CrazyTown's aristocracy, who were behaving in the exact barbaric manner of those they shunned on a daily basis, all the while wearing their ridiculous costumes. Due to the rampaging pink pixie that trashed the bar earlier that day, the place was forced to close down. The commoners who would normally be seen at Fish Bites weren't allowed at the private function that was now occurring in the Piranha's privately owned penthouse located further outside of CrazyTown and atop a small mountain.

Several of the moneygrubbers sat around in the living room, speaking to a well built Scotsman wearing his traditional regimentals. By simply gazing at his fuzzy red hair, wild beard and thick caterpillar eyebrows, they could tell he was a man who had certainly seen a lot in his day. He sat on a comfortable white leather chair with one unusually well groomed leg overlapping the other and continued speaking with the upper class twits until a bandaged Doug approached them.

"Everyone having a good time, all right?" He asked. "How 'bout you? Don't think I've ever seen you before, Mister…"

"Roddy McRotten, lad!" He stood up and shook the man's hand. "An' a pleasure 'tis to meet ye!"

"McRotten, eh?"

"Oh, aye! Proprietoor ahf McRotten Scotch 'n' Scotch Whiskey! A fam'ly bidness since nineteen ought seven!"

"Right, right! Of course! Well do enjoy the show, will you?"

"That I will, laddie! That I will!"

As Doug wandered about his house, greeting his guests and makings sure they were comfortable, Dinsdale approached the front door and was surprised to see a group of people in traditional German outfits--Two women, a young man and an old one.

"Who the bloody hell are you?"

"Mein name is Helga Rutten!" The petite and blond haired woman said. "We are the band to be playing for you this day!"

"The new band?"

"_Ja_, that is correct! Where can we be setting up?"

He eyeballed their lederhosen and shiny brass outfits before shuddering to the fact that this was the new band his brother had hired to replace the old one that had been fired for failure to act on orders. Hesitantly, he let the quartet into his shared domain and instructed them to set up in the farthest corner of the penthouse.

"Who's the tart with the ruffles?" Doug noticed the attractive young blond walking past him.

"She's with the new band you hired."

"Oh, yeah right." Doug's eyes remained fixed on her. "Didn't quite understand when they told me I'd be getting a folk group. Ah well. I'm not bothered."

"Are we ready to roll now?"

"What time is it?"

"Half past noon."

"Yeah, all right. Let's do this."

As he continued mingling, the seasoned Scotsman could see band leader Helga leading her musicians for a practice run. He made direct eye contact with her and nodded, practically rousing a swarm of butterflies in her stomach. She grinned at him momentarily then returned her attention to her band mates.

"Now then!" She exclaimed. "Everyone is to be paying attention to me! We do practice run of--"

"Pardon me, ma'am." The oldest of the Swedes said in a suspicious hick accent. "But what kinda music are we a-gonna play agin?"

"Shh! _Svenska! Svenska!" _

"Oh, yeah right…" He cleared his throat. "Uhh… we… uhh…"

"Come on now…"

"Ah, dang it! I just can't do it! It ain't right!"

"Okay, okay! Shh! Keep your voice down! Just… you be the silent one then!"

Outside, on the far end of the enormous sand pit across the penthouse, they stood on the hard, wooden deck built around the rocky cliff that supported them while they were closely monitored by another handful of hired guns. Stephanie, Trixie, Stingy, Dramatik and the Professor could see the party going on inside as they bathed in the sun and awaited their imminent death.

"Well this sucks." Stingy sighed. "I partly blame myself."

"Stingy?" Trixie looked over to him.

"You shouldn't have come back for me. Honestly, if that's what was standing in the way of you going after the amulets first, then maybe you should have--"

"Stingy, no way. You were our first priority."

"It wath unavoidable, thun." The Professor lisped. "Whether we liked it or not, we were behind thith rethcue attempt one hundred perthent."

"I wasn't, however." Dramatik chimed in.

"Oh, yeah. _He_ wathnt."

"Steph?" Stingy turned to her. "I'm sorry I got you into this."

"Don't worry, Stingy. Just stay close to Trixie. I've taken care of everything."

"Wow. I wish I had _your_ optimism."

They could now hear the band filling the air with their vibrant polka, which actually didn't sound half as bad as they had feared. Stephanie squinted across the dune and looked up at the lengthy side patio of the penthouse, where a crowd began to gather. Her shackles were removed but the gunmen keeping watch remained close by and nudged her forward, where a plank was sticking out of the deck and hanging above the endless sandy abyss below.

"Quicksand, huh?" She looked over to her captors, unimpressed. "Very original."

"This ain't no ordinary quicksand, honey." One of them said. "You fall in, yer gonna feel a world o' hurt. First your legs shatter to pieces, then your arms and chest go out. Ya can feel yer lungs a-cavin' in and your heart explode until finally yer head's that last thing to go down. And when it does, yer brain turns to mush and yer eyeballs fly out of their sockets! Nasty, ain't it?"

"Meh." She shrugged, still unimpressed.

Doug could see Stephanie holding onto the railing of the deck with her feet just a step away from touching the plank. For a moment he was baffled as he took a pair of binoculars from his coat pocket and closely examined the young girl. He started on her long pink hair that was dancing with the wind, moved down her calm facial expression and focused primarily on her casual red and pink sweatsuit.

"What the--!?" He nearly choked frustration. "DINSDALE!!"

"Psst!"

"DINSDALE!"

"Psst!"

"Eh?" He heard his brother's call and saw his head peeking out from the sliding door. "What are you doing there?"

"Just c'mere!"

"What is it!?" Doug asked as he sealed the doorway behind him. Then for a moment he was taken aback at the sight of his brother hiding behind a long red sheet with an almost embarrassed look on his face. "What's that yer wearing?"

"Well your packages just came in a minute ago."

"Oh they did, did they!? Did you try on your suit?"

"Erm…"

"What is it?"

"Are you sure you ordered the right one?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, I mean… umm…"

"For the love of God, man! Let's have a look!"

"All right…"

With a heavy sigh, Dinsdale opened his arms and revealed the shiny gold bikini that was placed tightly around the man's tall, thin and incredibly hairy physique. Horrified and incredibly disgusted, Doug backed away with his hand over his mouth.

"What the--!? NO! NO! NO! NO! _**Blecchh**_!" He vomited all over himself.

"Douggie?"

"You stupid twonk!" He slapped his brother's forehead. "That wasn't for you!"

"It wasn't?"

"NO! It was for that little pink devil standing near the plank! I thought it'd be nice for her to play dress-up for me as I send her down the eternal gob of doom!"

"Oh thank God!" Dinsdale sighed with relief. "Y'know, I thought it was a bit daft of you ordering something so revealing for me."

"You… You--_**Blaarrrghh**_!" He threw up on the carpet this time. "… If you knew it wasn't for you in the first place, then why did you put it on!?"

"Well I'm sorry! God forbid me big brother should do something nice for me every once in a while! So forgive me for thinking family comes first! I mean, don't you remember the last thing mum said to us?"

"What, _before_ or _after_ you nailed her head to the floor!?"

"Naw what's tekkin soo lung!?" McRotten stepped in for a moment. "Ahf goot a tharst fer blud an' ahm not gettin any ootside!"

"Hold on a minute, ya manky Scot!" Doug snapped as he wiped his mouth.

"Ang oon! Whaz he wearin' a simmet like tha fer!? Naw doon tell me yer bruva's a wee bufty!"

"Go back and change, Dinsy!"

"With pleasure!" He ran off in embarrassment.

Back outside on the elongated verandah, Ziggy carried his tray around and smiled at the guests as they picked off their drinks one by one. He saw Pixel serving another small group and headed his way when suddenly, a small hovering orb zoomed right past him.

"What the heck is that thing?" Ziggy stood by, watching the machine serve drinks with its extendable nozzle as it hummed gently.

"Oh, you like it?" Pixel asked with a sense of accomplishment. "It's something I came up with last night."

"Last night!? You mean while our friends were held prisoner, probably being tortured to death, all you could think of was a way to serve drinks faster!?"

"Uhh… yeah. Yeah, pretty much."

"I don't like this, Pixel! They're gonna kill Stephanie and the others! We have to do something!"

"Okay, first of all, you can keep your voice down. Second, why don't you go serve those people over there at that table?"

"Pixel, I'm serious!"

"So am I! They tip really well!"

"Pixel!"

"What?"

"We found Stingy like we were supposed to! Why can't we bust him out now!"

"What, and miss out on the show? Honestly, where's your sense of adventure?"

"I…" Ziggy was left bewildered as the hovering bar machine floated about. "… Oh, man…"

Doug and Dinsdale reappeared outside with their guests on the verandah, dressed in totally different suits; one that wasn't a gold bikini and one that wasn't soiled with chunks. After exchanging a few awkward glances with his brother, Doug signaled the polka band to break and walked over to the edge of the railing.

"Have you got any last words you want to say, dearie, before you go down the gulper?" He shouted to the other side.

"That's the gulper?" Ziggy could see the swirling sand hole beneath the plank. "Oh no…"

Pixel hid behind the gathering and activated a control system in his wristband. A few bulbs flickered on the hovering bartender and it immediately hummed its way over towards the railing, hiding in between McRotten and the band's horn player, who looked at it rather curiously.

"_Ay, Dios mio…" _He said under his breath. "Another one?"

"Shh!" The Scotsman said. "Calm yerself, lad."

Helga held her tuba closely as she and the accordion player quietly positioned themselves right behind Doug and Dinsdale. The old percussionist readied himself as well, lowering his tambourine and placing it before the lining of his stockings.

Stephanie got a nod of approval from the Scot and took a step on the plank, waving at the Piranhas. "You're making a big mistake, Piranha! Let us go or pay the consequences!"

"Oh, I think I can afford it!" He shouted back.

"Fine."

She gave one last nod over to Pixel, who immediately took to his keypad and activated a rectangular slot to reveal itself on the hovering orb's dome. Stephanie waved goodbye and dropped into the belly of the beast, falling through with ease and comfort much to everyone's surprise.

"Stephanie!" Stingy cried.

"Steph!" Ziggy turned away. "Oh no… No! No! No!"

As they all cheered, Doug and Dinsdale shook hands and waved at their guests victoriously, leaning against the railing of the patio. A guard pushed Stingy towards the plank, indicating it was his time to go down. His stomach became queasy as he looked down the throat of the sand pit and the felt the uneasy tingle of the crowd's cheering crawl through his veins. The noise was broken, however, as they eventually noticed the swirling pit beginning to slow down. Once it had come to a full stop, the gaping mouth closed shut as several bubbles of sand and hot air began to pop up.

"What's all this then?" Doug looked around, confused as to why they grew silent. "What happened?"

"Er, Douggie?" Dinsdale pointed down at the boiling sand pit.

"…What the…"

The unusual rumbling of the sand provided a very strange and mind-boggling texture for the ground, which stayed that way as it quite clearly turned to glass. Amazed, the guests as well as the guards and prisoners looked over the railings and could feel the heat emanating from the glass floor that was now beginning to shake.

Trixie grinned. "It's go time."

In an instant, a massive geyser of hot glass and earth erupted from the ground as a familiar looking blue airship came soaring from it all. Dangling from the ladder was Stephanie, wielding the fire amulet and proudly wearing her pink superhero outfit as she smiled at the panic stricken Piranhas before swinging from the rope and onto the roof panels. She began reaching for the armed CrazyTowners and pulling them away and into the bottomless pit.

Meanwhile, Pixel's hovering bartender launched a purple blur over towards the prisoner's deck, which immediately turned out to be Robbie's old invention. The Robo-Hound began barking at the guards as it leapt into the air and broke through Trixie's and Stingy's manacles with one bite.

"Yes!" Trixie exclaimed as she grabbed hold of her captor's rifle and hit him in the face with the butt. She saw another two coming her way and swung it around like a staff, knocking them over the railing and into the endless abyss. "Finally! I've been waiting to see some action!"

"Trixie?" A very disturbed Stingy asked.

"Watch out!" The Professor warned as several more ran up the steps of the deck.

"Sweet!" Trixie tossed her gun over to the first man on sight as a distraction then dropped to her feet in order to sweep him down. With lightning fast accuracy, she was able to drop one on the floor, hop back up and punch another two out in the face then push their bodies against the other three that remained in the back.

Stingy was still in complete shock. "What was that!?"

"Huh?" She smiled out of breath.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Well you know me. The whole 'damsel in distress' bit was never really my thing."

Ironically, a sudden gunshot towards the railing caused Trixie to scream out and fall over, her hands hanging onto the edge of the plank. "Stingy! Help me!"

"Oh great…" He sighed as he dropped to the floor and attempted to help her.

Back across the deck, Stephanie fought off the bouncers as they arrived on the scene, dodging every stray bullet and knife swing that came her way.

"Get her!" Doug ordered. "Don't let her escape! Don't--"

Doug and Dinsdale were immobilized instantly when Helga trapped Doug's head in the horn of her tuba and the accordion player smashed her instrument over Dinsdale's. The brothers began to wander off but the old man in the tight shorts revealed his lasso from behind his tambourine and hog-tied the two together.

"Yee-haw!" He hollered. "I've been waiting to go fishin'!"

McRotten unveiled a cane from behind his belt and lashed out at several of the guards, much to the yuppies' surprise. "Ach! What er you lookin' at!? Get gooin' oor else I'll hafta bean ya as well!"

Salazar and Amelie removed their disguises and began using their wands to immobilize the several men shooting at them. Jasper, meanwhile, simply removed his feathered cap and replaced it with his traditional slouch hat as he continued wrangling the Piranha brothers. Rottenella, formerly known as Helga Rutten, hurried to her beloved's side and watched as he fought off a few remaining CrazyTowners.

"I think this counts as a date, don't you?" He asked her with a wink in his eye, his accent now gone.

"We should do it again sometime!" She said as she kissed him.

"Hey, you two!" Stephanie called as she cart-wheeled her way past two men. "Save that for later! We've got a job to finish!"

Across, Trixie still dangled from the plank as she felt her fingers beginning to wear out. Stingy wrapped his hands around her wrist and managed to pull her through until another gunshot separated them again. This time, she let go of the plank completely and caught on to a loose wire that was hanging from below the deck's surface. Stingy now had to position himself further past the edge of the cliff, where the plank used to be, and reach over for his friend. As this was going on, Robo-Hound bought them some time as he and the Professor struggled with the last three of Doug's goons.

Dramatik, on the other hand, was of no help as he ran around in circles. "Ode To A Midsummer's Raid! To the left of me, I see pain! The right of me, I see pain! In front of me! Pain! In back of me! Pain! Oh, the pain! The pain!"

"Dramatik, shut up or help me!" Stingy scolded as he struggled to bring Trixie back up.

"Oh God, Oh God, Oh God…" Trixie panicked as she felt herself beginning to slip.

"Trixie! Take my hand!"

"I can't reach it!"

"Crap! Hold on!"

The airship tilted to the left as the hatch door opened. Jasper flung the brothers inside and followed them in as well as Amelie and Salazar. Robbie threw out his disguise and led his fiancée in, knocking back a few would-be stowaways.

"Is that everyone?" Sportacus asked as he piloted the machine.

"Not quite." Salazar pointed at Stingy and Trixie.

Stingy, using all his strength, finally managed to bring Trixie over the edge and on top of him, coming face to face with her. They stayed that way for a few seconds, starry eyed and out of breath.

"Th-thanks…"

"Anytime."

"_Arf! Arf! Arf!" _The mechanical dog barked as it scared its tattered victims away.

The Professor picked the dog up and saw the airship heading their way much to his joy. He stopped Dramatik's monologue with a slap to the head and gestured for him to climb aboard. Once this goal was achieved, Trixie and Stingy were the latest to step in and rendezvous with the gang.

"Where are the others?" Stingy asked.

Stephanie backed away from the small group as Pixel trapped them with a cyber net, which flung from his wristband. Once the airship came around, Pixel hurried inside but noticed a stray bouncer heading their way.

"Oh no!" He gasped. "Stephanie, look out!"

"What?" She looked and turned to Ziggy. "Ziggy! Quick! Triple swirl butternut squash!"

"My Captain! My Captain!" He saluted then executed a triple swirl cannon-drill across the air, using the top of his head to crush the man's crotch.

Once everyone was rounded up, both good and bad, the airship took off, leaving Stephanie behind to torch the place with her fire amulet. When it was time to leave for good, Clyde swept the pink-haired girl off her feet with his hoverboard and followed the airship off into the distance.

"I guess you knew it would end up this way." He said.

"Didn't have a clue." She shrugged before kissing him.

And so they left CrazyTown, leaving behind a major explosion that reached into the skies. Stingy was saved, the Piranha brothers were captured and the search for the amulets could now begin.


	5. That Was Then, This Is Now

**IV**

"_Astral?" _

_Silence. _

"_Astral?"_

_Silence._

"_Astral, are you all right?"_

_More silence. Until…_

"…_Yes. Yes, I'm fine."  
_

_The young man, now in his mid twenties, got up from the ground and dusted himself off. He could see the rubble and mounds of dirt surrounding the training room and the amused look on his teacher's face staring back at him with the utmost esteem. Then he turned around to examine the bedrock he was lying on, his imprint clearly in view. _

"_You caused quite a mess, Astral." _

"_I'm sorry, sir."_

_"Don't be. You've mastered the Earth amulet."_

"_I wrecked the training grounds."_

"_But with profound results." _

"…_What?"_

"_Come see for yourself."_

_Astral nodded and slowly approached Reiko, who was standing only a few feet away. Walking along the dirt floor of the vacant field, he could sense a sort of imbalance in the earth below him. He was surprised to find that the ground he stood on broke apart behind his teacher and formed a trench that was massive, deep and led into a sort of trail at the bottom. He was standing at the edge of a canyon._

"_I… I did all this?"_

_"You did." The teacher smiled. "Well done."_

_Astral smiled at his wondrous creation and took a moment to reflect on the golden amulet that was chained around his neck. He ran his forefinger along the smoothness of the green gem and felt a trickle of energy pass through his body rather unexpectedly. _

"_It feels good, doesn't it?"_

_"Sir?"_

"_The power."_

_"I don't… I don't know what you're--"_

_"You can't deny it, Astral. The power is overwhelming. Surely you've felt its presence by now."_

"_When I use the amulets…" He began, pausing for a moment to confront his feelings. "…I do feel different."_

"_Yes?"_

_"I sense things I normally wouldn't. My feelings often differ from what I'm thinking."_

"_And what do these feelings tell you?"_

_"I'm not sure."_

"_Is it possible you find yourself wanting more?"_

_"More… power?"_

_"Yes."_

"_But for what?"_

_"You tell me."_

"…_What are you trying to say?"_

_"Imagine, Astral. Imagine a world created in our image. By simply using these amulets, can we create a utopia far superior to Mutari. Everyone will see our vision--MY vision… and hold us in the highest respect."_

_"But…"_

_"Or we can destroy. Cause the deaths of those who dare oppose our views. Rule with an iron fist and never look back. Now then… doesn't that sound much more fun?"_

"…_Sir, I don't understand what you want me to do."_

_"It's simple, Astral. You have a choice to make. Destroy…" He stuck out his arm along the canyon and dangled the Water amulet. "… Or create."_

_The blue gem blinded Astral momentarily before he could finally see the raging rapids that fell along the canyon from across the gap. Astral grinned as he watched his creation be given a new life as a waterfall. _

"Astral?"

Silence.

"Astral?"

Silence.

"Hey! Are you dead, old man?"

"Old man?" He laughed aloud. "Yes, I suppose you could call me that."

He stood among the tall grass waving along the meadow and watched as the children enjoyed an afternoon game of soccer. Bob, the pudgy pink rabbit, climbed atop his old friend's burgundy clerical robe and parked his keister in the hood.

"Old, huh?" The rabbit scoffed. "That's putting it mildly."

"Indeed it is."

"What are you doin'?"

"I'm watching the children play."

"Any particular reason? Wait! Don't tell me! Ya got 50 bucks riding on this one, huh? I knew it! I knew you was a gambling man!"

"Are you trying to tarnish my reputation?"

"A little bit, yeah."

He chuckled softly. "What is it, Bob?"

"The gang's at the watchtower. They's waitin' for youse."

"Very well."

The young man who had sworn an oath of allegiance to Reiko Jynn-Khan all those years ago was now decades past his prime, living in a place called LazyTown. Since his return from Mutari four months ago, he had helped Stephanie and her friends destroy Remus' black tower and discover the location of the last two amulets. He stayed in the quaint little town and settled in as a member of the Trinity Watch along with his HazyTown brethren.

Ever since the spell over his hometown was lifted, he could feel nature beginning to catch up to him. He was old before but now the evidence of his seasoning was showing. Stephanie took notice of this as well. Every time she saw him, she would sense his failing health, the changes in his walk and the way his voice was constantly breaking under the pressures of staying alive. Even now as he walked inside the debriefing room of the Trinity Watch HQ, keeping a strong look on his face, Stephanie could see her old friend was fading away.

"Astral." She smiled at him. "You're here."

"Of course, young one."

Lieutenant Eugene Cosgrove, demoted chief of LazyTown police and survivor of 4 stress related heart attacks over the last four months, took center stage in front of all the determined men and women sitting patiently at their desks and pulled down an overhead slide. There was a faint chuckle somewhere in the audience but Eugene kept his view on the officers.

"As you all know, this is a map of the entire region surrounding a hidden city known as Mutari. It's located several miles across the North Atlantic Ocean and--stop laughing, please. Anyway, as I said, it's located deep within the mountains that reside on a small island in the middle of the ocean and--Stop laughing! Please! Okay, then… If you look closely--Why are you laughing!? Quit it!"

The group was in hysterics, laughing at the crude yet descriptive doodle of the policeman that had been placed over the map of Mutari. Cosgrove noticed the large drawing and furiously ripped it from the slide only to reveal another insulting caricature of him.

"What!?" He growled. "No! No!"

He pulled the next slide defensively but instead brought the entire roll down, slamming it against his head. Naturally, the entire room was roaring with laughter. Cosgrove swore under his breath and noticed Ziggy, Pixel, Trixie and Stingy laughing in the corner much to his humiliation.

"You!" He pointed. "You little bastards! You'll pay for this! You'll--"

"Eugene?"

He could feel the man's hand placed firmly over his shoulder. "Sportacus, they were--"

"Come on, Eugene. Let it go…"

"But--"

"Eugene."

"…Stupid, lousy, pink-haired, blue elf and…" Cosgrove muttered as he took his seat in the back.

Sportacus took over the meeting and reviewed the contents of the map. The Water amulet was within the Trinity's reach, hidden beneath the depths of the Yawn River. Getting it wouldn't be much of a problem. To get to the Wind amulet, however, they would have to travel a bit farther--his homeland of Aðalsteinn. Sportacus knew who he wanted to go with him but was unsure of how the others would react.

When the meeting was over, Stephanie, Sportacus and Astral were the last three people to stay inside the room. The old man picked up the doodle Cosgrove had left on the desk and smiled at its absurdity.

"I don't think I'll ever look at Cosgrove the same way again." He put the drawing down and faced his two companions. "Aðalsteinn… that's a long way from LazyTown. Do you have a team assembled?"

"Not yet." Sportacus replied. "But I know who I want to take with me over there."

"Yes?"

"You're the only one who knows how to handle this Reiko Jynn-Khan character." Stephanie chimed in. "Neither of us have met him but if what we've heard is true…"

"…Then you believe neither of you will stand a chance without my knowledge to assist you?"

"Astral…" She hesitated. "… My friend, I know you're sick. I know you're not in the best shape you used to be. But we really need your help on this one. If he and Remus somehow learn of our actions and discover where we're headed, then we really--"

"Stephanie." He stopped her mid-sentence. "What makes you think that after all we've been through, after everything that's happened… I would abandon you now?"

"Thanks, Astral." She said, giving him a quick hug.

"After all…" He continued. "… I would love the opportunity to beat that smirk off his face."

* * *

The repairs were almost complete. A few buildings further on down the road, some new patches of grass planted in, some refurbishing along the town square and LazyTown would soon be as good as new. The path to recovery filled Milford Meanswell with a sense of pride and accomplishment as he walked along the sidewalk, watching the men he hired to fix the town do their jobs with the persistency he had expected from them.

"Enjoying the view, Milford?"

"Excuse me?" He turned to see a man in his forties with a scar on his face that used to be immediately recognizable. "Oh, Demetrius. How are you?"

"Good." He shook the man's hand. "Glad to see the town's repairs are almost complete."

"Yes. I only pray that we don't attract any more unwanted attention. This whole business with the amulets may be enough to distract Remus and his hordes from ever coming back here again."

"Let's hope so. And with the Trinity Watch already putting a plan into motion, I'm sure they'll be able to beat them to the punch."

"Has Sportacus said anything about his homeland?"

"They just had a meeting. Apparently, once they return from the Yawn River, he's going to assemble a team of Watchmen to go with him to Aðalsteinn and try to locate the Wind amulet."

"Yes, he did mention that to me before." His eyes shifted.

"Milford…" He could see the mayor looking away with an uncomfortable weight on his shoulders. "… You know Stephanie has to go with him."

"She… she's told me time and again why she must but…"

"She's the only one who can control the amulets."

"She's only nineteen. She has a full life to live."

"And I doubt she wants to live it in fear or in hiding."

"Oh, dear…" He bowed his head. "… I suppose not."

"Talk to her, Milford. Talk to her before it's too late."

* * *

"Come on, Stingy! Try it again!"

"Do we have to?"

"Yes."

"Oh for the love of…" Stingy groaned as he took Trixie's hand. She helped him up on his feet and took a few steps back, waiting for him to finish wiping the grass off his back.

"Anytime now, Stinge" She said impatiently.

"All right, all right…" He took a few short breaths and slowly raised his fists in a typical boxing position and studied his objective closely. She looked back at him with those piercingly beautiful hazel eyes and mischievous grin while standing around rather casually in the football field. He tensed up for a moment and eventually lowered his hands to his sides.

"Stingy, what are you doing?" She asked.

"Do we have to do this?"

"Yes! Yes, you do!"

"Look, it's bad enough I missed two months of school, let alone four months of my life, but do I really need to add hand-to-hand combat training to the list of things to catch up on--apart from the mountain of schoolwork that's waiting for me in my room!?"

"I said yes."

"What's gotten into you? _All _of you?" He turned his head and acknowledged Ziggy, Pixel, Clyde and Stephanie, who were sitting patiently in the bleachers. "We're not fighters! We never did any of these things back in the day!"

"That was then, this is now."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means times have changed, Stingy." Stephanie tried to explain in the nicest way possible. "We're not little kids anymore. I mean you and the others have said it yourselves. And you're right. We're not. Situations have occurred far beyond our reach that are forcing us to take drastic measures to defend ourselves. Sportacus has done a great job so far taking care of us but he can only do so much. It's time we gave him a hand for once."

"Steph's right, Stingy." Pixel agreed. "We all have to do our part. I mean you should see all the new stuff I've been working on in the lab. Stuff I normally wouldn't have come up with when we were kids."

"My God, you're building munitions systems for the town, aren't you!" Stingy's eyes widened. "Missile silos at every turn! Bunkers ready for the big drop! Since when did LazyTown become a war zone!? I'm out for a little while and everyone declares war on each other!"

"It's not like that, Stingy. I'm just saying that some of my new inventions actually serve a purpose beneficial for _all _of LazyTown."

"Ziggy, help me out here."

"Uhh…" He looked around, twiddling his fingers. "… Well they don't really tell me much."

"Oh, not _this_ again…" Pixel groaned.

"Well I'm sorry! But if someone would occasionally let me in on the plan, I wouldn't be so much of a nervous wreck!"

Clyde spoke up, "Ziggy, the reason we didn't tell you about the whole rescue mission was because we were afraid that you might--"

"Screw it up!?" He finished the sentence. "Yeah, I guess you're right! Good old Ziggy! Can't keep his mouth shut since he's the youngest one and all! Yeah! Let's not tell Ziggy the plan and take all the glory while he runs around like a headless chicken!"

"I didn't say that."

"Ziggy, what are you talking about?" Trixie shook her head. "You got in on the action!"

"Yeah, at the last minute when one of those bouncers was coming after Stephanie!" He explained. "Big whoop!"

"Ziggy, you saved me!" Stephanie tried to make him feel better. "And I'm thankful for that."

"I know… I just… Would it kill you guys to show me a _little_ respect?"

"But we _do_ respect you. We love you."

"Hey!" Stingy interrupted. "Can we get back to _me_, please!?"

"Oh, shut up and come get me!" Trixie scowled.

"I… I don't' want to."

"What's the matter? Afraid you're gonna get beat by a girl?"

"Yes."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…God, you're such a baby."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"Well you haven't so far! So I think I can take that risk!"

"I…" Stingy slowly raised his fists again. "…Okay, missy…"

"Come to mama!"

"WAAAAAAHHHH!"

Stingy ran towards Trixie, pathetically flailing his arms about like a misdirected psychopath and eventually found the world spinning upside down, his stomach rising with him. Once he landed on his back, this time facing the opposite direction of Trixie, he remained there with his sights set on the clouds herding above him.

"Stingy?" She looked down on him with those hypnotic eyes of hers again. "Are you okay?"

"…You flipped me."

"Yeah."

"And Sportacus… _taught_ you all this?" He could see her nod.

"I helped." Clyde said, almost childishly. "I mean… well, y'know…"

Stingy slowly sat up, ignoring the strands of grass on his back, and sighed deeply with his head in his hands. "You're right. Times have changed."


	6. Dog Day Afternoon

**V**

There were boxes everywhere filled with his old inventions, some with his recent ones and stacks of blueprints that were kept in a corner to themselves. Doors were left open with the rooms completely cleared out. Some floorboards were pulled out and the wiring beneath them were carefully tagged and identified so as to avoid confusion. The fuzzy orange chair that was in the middle of it all was covered with loose parts, workman's tools, layouts and small containers of nails, screws, nuts and bolts.

Rottenella stood against the railing of the deck next to the organ and disguise tubes and watched her future husband explore the hidden levels of the lair that were, until a few months ago, completely unknown to them. A loud drilling noise caught the young woman off guard and forced her to cover her ears in displeasure, waiting for Robbie to finish tearing off whatever part of their home was in his way. A deep thud followed by a sharp ringing later and Rottenella knew that Robbie had screwed something up. His sudden swearing and kicking of the metal foundations only proved her right as he climbed his way out of the square opening that was only a few inches away from his chair.

"Nope! I don't see it!" He growled as he removed his welding goggles and wiped the sweat from his brow. "I just don't!"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive! There's just no way!"

"Maybe you aren't looking hard enough."

"How much harder to I have to look? I'm standing on solid earth, for Christ's sake!" He picked up a bundle of wires and tossed them back. "And these things are always in the way!"

"Don't get upset, darling."

"I'm not upset!" His voice screeched before he caught himself and cooled down. "… I'm sorry…"

"Robbie…"

"I know. I just… I just don't see how it's possible."

"But your father told you."

"…My father?" He paused for a moment to reflect. "… My father."

"It's still difficult for you to accept, isn't it?"

"No. Not difficult. Just… _confusing_, really."

"But what about Sportacus?"

"I don't know. What about him?"

"You know what I mean. Ever since you both learned the truth, he's been avoiding you."

"Except on--"

"Away missions." She finished for him. "I know."

"Ah, who cares? The fact that he's my brother doesn't change a thing. He's still a hyperactive blue sports monkey with a holier-than-thou attitude. I don't need _him_ cramping my style."

"No." She shook her head. "You managed to do that on your own."

He looked up at her and frowned. "That was low."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say it. I just don't like the idea of you two growing more and more distant from each other."

"Hey! It's _his_ fault! Not mine!" Robbie was now climbing out of the hole. "I tried to talk to the big lug but every time, that annoying crystal of his went off and then so did he! If you ask me, the guy's changed. He _never _used to beat on the bad guys and he _always_ tried to find an alternative to violence. Maybe it's because of that crackpot Remus and everything he's done so far to this town besides usurping my title as resident bad guy. _Maybe. _I could buy that. But if there was a defining quality about Sportakook that stood out above the others, it was that he was _always_ there to listen to other people's problems. I find it funny how he can't seem to do that now."

"You're right about that, I guess." She turned to see him coming up the steps. "Maybe it's harder for him to accept than I thought. That and the fact that you've really turned over a new leaf."

"Hey, now. Let's not go too far. After all…" He wrapped his arms around her in a loving embrace. "I may be a changed man on the surface. But down here…"

"…You're as wicked as you want to be." She giggled as he nibbled her ear. "Oh, Robbie…"

He swept her off her feet and slowly moved down the steps, keeping his lips brushed against hers. She played with his hair with one hand and kept the other safely around his neck while he kicked back the boxes and gadgets that were lying on the floor, maintaining his direction towards the bedroom. Once inside, Robbie kicked the door shut, parting his lips momentarily to carefully throw his future bride onto the bed. Outside the room, Robo-Hound stuck his head out of the gaping hole in the floor and searched for his master. He heard the giggling and commotion coming from the bedroom and dashed for the door, scraping it and barking loudly.

"What is it!?" Robbie stuck his head out of the door, the lipstick evident all over his face. He saw the dog happily wagging its tail and eagerly waiting to play with him. "Oh, it's you…"

_"Arf!" _

"Look, give me a few minutes!"

_"Arf!"_

"Oh come on! Don't do this to me!"

"_Arf! Arf!"_

"All right, that's it…"

_**One minute later…**_

The mechanical pup sighed and laid its head on the grass as it sat down, chained to the ladder outside the hatch entrance. The sun was shining and the kids were outside playing, having a lot more fun than he was. Then he realized that Robbie chaining him to a mere pole was an arguably stupid thing to do. Proving his point, the dog simply bit through the chains with one bite and was merrily on his way towards the park.

As he wagged his tail along the way, the small children that passed him by stopped to pet him and giggle as his patch of purple fuzz tickled their fingers. The dog continued along the path and looked up to see a Frisbee zoom overhead, a bunch of birds flying across the sky, squirrels climbing from tree to tree and was totally unaware of the lamp post that he eventually walked into.

After a few seconds of staying on its back, the backup circuits on the hound activated themselves and allowed him to carry on his way. With a raspy chuckle, the dog was able to poke fun of his own recklessness and strolled into the courtyard, where a man in blue was saving a child from falling off a tree.

"Thanks Sportacus!" The child sighed from relief.

"No problem." He smiled. "Just try to be more careful next time, all right?"

"Sure thing!" And off he went.

The hero in blue chuckled. "Kids."

"_Arf!"_

"Huh?" He turned around and looked down at Robbie's old creation, panting happily at him. "Oh, it's you. Are you lost?"

The dog shook its head and continued panting.

"Are you waiting for somebody?"

He shook his head again and yelped.

"Does Robbie even know you're out here?"

Again the dog barked but this time he nudged at the blue elf's shoe.

"What is it, boy?

_"Arf!"_

"What?"

_"Arf!"_

"I don't understand. Maybe I should take you back over to Robbie."

The dog barked once more and nodded his head eagerly. As Sportacus reached to pick him up, he suddenly realized why he couldn't go back and stepped away to think for a moment.

"Wait a minute." He started. "I can't go now. If I do, Robbie might want to…"

_"Arf!"_

"Look, you don't understand. So much has happened in the last few months. I don't know if I can sit down and have this talk with him."

"_Arf! Arf!"_

"Robbie sent you out here, didn't he?"

He shook his head and laid down, his red eyes fixed on the man.

"No, huh?" He crouched down and pet the dog. "I suppose there's no point in delaying the inevitable."

"_Arf!"_

"Maybe…" He thought for a second. "…After we return from the Yawn River, I'll be able to talk to him then."

Growing impatient, Robo-Hound tugged at the hero's pants and tried to force him over to the lair.

"No, not now." He pleaded. "Please, I can't deal with this. I have to be somewhere."

Sportacus picked up the dog and turned him around, sending him back to where he came from. The dog frowned and took one look back, seeing Sportacus dash across town and into the mayor's office.

* * *

Stingy was in his room, looking in the mirror as he neatly fastened his black bowtie over his long sleeved blue business shirt. He then picked up his comb and tidied up his thick brown hair when a familiar voice startled him.

"You are _such_ a dork."

"Trixie." He was surprised to see her reflection standing in the doorway, smiling at him.

"Oh no." He gulped. "Is this some sort of practice routine? You sneak up behind me and I'm supposed to fight you off?"

"No."

"Oh, thank God."

"That's next week."

He laughed and turned around to face her. "What's up? Is something wrong?"

"Other than your sense of fashion? No."

He rolled his eyes. "Look, if you're just here to razz me then--"

"Calm down." She playfully punched his arm. "I just wanted to see if you were okay after your little tumble earlier this morning."

"I'm fine, thanks."

"Good."

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds until Stingy cleared his throat and undid his little bow. "I think it's a little warm outside to be wearing this, actually."

"I like it." She said out of the blue. "I mean… it suits you."

"Yeah. I… I guess it does."

"So…"

"So… that was, uhh… that was pretty crazy back there, huh? The rescue mission and everything."

"Well they don't call it CrazyTown for nothing."

"Yeah." He chuckled uncomfortably. "I guess not…"

She stepped forward a bit. "Can I be honest with you?"

"Sure."

"These last couple of months while you were out…"

"Uh-huh." He stepped forward as well.

"We didn't know if we would ever find you or not."

"…Uh-huh." His gaze remained on her eyes.

"…And that there might have been a chance that you were already dead…" She shyly looked up at him.

"…Dead?"

"I didn't want to give up hope. None of us did, actually. But I…"

"…What?" He could was now face to face with her. "What is it?"

"I…" She started to breathe heavily. "…I missed you."

"…You did?"

"I did…"

_"Arf! Arf!"  
_

Trixie and Stingy both found themselves the victim of bad timing once again as they noticed their lips were just centimeters apart. They slowly turned their heads to see Robbie's robotic pet barking and scratching outside the window.

"Isn't that Robbie's dog?" Stingy pointed out.

"Yeah. What's it doing here?"

Stingy quickly hurried outside and caught the dog as it leapt into his arms. The contraption barked a few times more and licked the boy's face much to his disgust.

"Ew, gross…" He groaned. "Robbie even gave it salivary glands!"

"We should probably give it back to Robbie."

"Yes we _should_!"

* * *

"So explain the situation to me again." Stephanie said as she and Clyde sat in the mayor's office next to Milford and Ms. Busybody.

"It's like this, Stephanie…" Louie began to explain as he and his wife Alice sat across from them. "When we formed the Trinity Watch, there was no one to look after CrazyTown. All right? Jasper, me and the others were here in LazyTown and the Professor was in Mutari at the time with Dramatik and Astral"

"Go on."

"Well it seems the person left in charge was a runaway mobster who stumbled into CrazyTown sometime after Sportacus and Clyde left LazyTown. When the Trinity Watch formed and we started to head over here, the Professor decided to leave this new guy in charge as acting mayor."

"Who was this mobster?"

"I forget his name."

They all turned their attention to the Professor, who cowered behind the coat rack. Stephanie cleared her throat and caught his attention, waiting for his response.

"Oh God…" He sighed. "Hith name wath… uhh…"

"You don't remember?" Stephanie asked.

"Wait! Ith all coming back to me! Uhh… it wath… Ooh! Ooh! I know! It wath Luigi Vercotti!"

"Luigi Vercotti?"

"Now apparently," Louie continued. "Vercotti got into some trouble of his own and gambled the town in a game of poker to try and save his neck. He lost. And to who, you might ask?"

"The Piranha brothers." Stephanie winced. "That would explain why all the CrazyTowners turned against us."

"Why they would follow their orders instead of thinking with their heads." Milford nodded along.

"Well yeah." Louie shrugged. "That plus the fact they were drunk all the time. I don't know about you but we CrazyTowners are some mean drunks!"

"So where did this Vercotti go?" Sportacus asked as he leaned against the small gate.

"I don't think the Piranhas got to him. I'd say he's still out there. Hiding from them."

"He _could_ be looking for Remus." Stephanie suggested. "If the Piranhas suddenly showed up in CrazyTown, there's no doubt in my mind that Vercotti could have caught on to their plan."

"What are you suggesting, dear?" Milford looked at his niece.

"Vercotti must have bargained with the Piranhas."

"You mean he offered his help in exchange for his life?" Clyde tried to piece together the puzzle.

Stephanie nodded. "That's how I see it."

"But that's silly." Bessie shook her head. "What kind of threat could a washed-up mobster pose?"

"Look at the Piranhas. They almost killed Stingy, didn't they?" She looked over to Sportacus. "He knows something. Something that might come back to bite us in the butt."

"We need to find him as soon as possible." He nodded.

"We will. When we find Remus. In the meantime…" She looked over to Clyde. "How soon can we get the Track One ready to deploy?"

"As soon as I've finished the aquatic and sonar modifications." He said with a smile. "That and I'm also adding this killer sound system that's MP3 compatible with a jukebox shuffler and a disco ball that activates on command."

"Hmm" She thought for a moment. "_Fully_ MP3 compatible?"

"Yup."

"Surround sound?"

"Uh-huh."

"Multicolor lights?"

"You know it."

"Righteous."

They high-fived each other and kissed in front of the small group for exactly four seconds. An awkward four seconds to be exact but four seconds nevertheless.

"It should be ready by tomorrow morning." Clyde finished, winking at his girl.

"All right." A very flustered Stephanie sighed as she got up from her seat. "Then tomorrow morning, we're heading out to the Yawn River!"

"Aw, shug." Alice stood up as well and gave Stephanie a quick hug. "Y'all are growin' up so fast! I'm awful proud of ya! Know that?"

"Thanks, Alice."

Milford smiled at his niece and looked down at his desk, a feeling of concern and fear swelling up inside him like a balloon.

* * *

"What are you two doing here!?" Robbie asked his two guests as he sat back down on his chair, examining the loose parts.

"We're here to bring your dog back." Trixie said as Robo-Hound circled the entire lair.

"Oh." He looked at the purple fuzzball as it ran into a storage closet then returned to his work.

"Well no need to thank us or anything."

"Uh-huh."

"Robbie!" Rottenella snapped from behind the railing.

"Huh?" He looked up and noticed her expression, immediately turning back to his guests with a smile. "Oh, uhh… Thanks, Dixie! Thanks, Stevie! There's the hatch! Okay! Goodbye! See ya later!"

Trixie rolled her eyes and led the way out of the lair. Once they both got out, Stingy looked back at the entrance and chuckled to himself.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Robbie. He's not even married yet and already he's… _**Wssh!**_" He made a whipping movement with his hand.

"Oh, God…" Trixie giggled as they walked away.

Back inside the lair, Rottenella shook her head as she sat on her beloved's lap. He tossed away the parts he was working on and sighed.

"Now I can see you were never good with kids." She told him.

"I told you." He shrugged.

"Oh, Robbie… Once we get married, I was thinking about starting a family of our own."

"…Uhh…" He froze in place. Never before had such a horrifying idea struck him. "Say… how 'bout I go under the lair again and see if I can find something new!"

She sighed. "Okay, go ahead…"

"Yes! Thank you!" He ran off with his tools in hand. "I know I can find it! I just know it!"


	7. Take Me To The River

_**A/N: Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! I'll explain after this…**_

**VI**

The Track One hovered above the massive body of water known as the Yawn River. Inside, Clyde finished adjusting the controls of the airship and turned to see the crew sitting in the newly furnished interior. Sportacus, Pixel, Ziggy, Stingy, Trixie, Salazar, Amelie, Robbie and Rottenella were seated in two rows facing each other. Rottenella sat next to Robbie and noticed his tense posture and nervous expression as he sat directly across Sportacus. The hero in blue avoided eye contact with him and kept his gaze towards his nephew and Stephanie, who sat in the newly installed copilot's chair.

"Great day for a swim, huh?" Robbie decided to engage the elf in conversation.

"We're not here to play." Was all he said, his eyes remaining distant. "We've got a job to do. Go in, find the amulet, then head back home."

"Y'know, I never thought I'd see the day when _you_ would be the one to suck the life out of a party."

He sat silently and changed the subject. "Clyde, are we ready to go?"

"Almost, Uncle Sporty." He said as he pressed a few buttons on the panel. "I'm about to lower this baby onto the water."

"Wait, hold on a minute!" Stingy protested. "Can this thing actually _float _on water!?"

"Stingy, we're not gonna go on the water!"

"Oh good…"

"We're gonna go _under_ it."

"What!? That wasn't part of the plan!"

"It was a last minute thing."

Slowly the airship descended onto the water, creating several ripples with its powerful propellers. Once it touched, the ship came to a standstill; save for the minor rocking it caused from the small impact.

"We're gonna die." Stingy began to hyperventilate.

"Calm down." Trixie couldn't help but laugh. "We'll be fine."

He noticed her hand placed over his, which only caused him to breathe even harder. "…Are you sure?"

"No. But that's where the fun lies."

"Let's take it easy, Clyde." Stephanie said. "We don't want to go too fast or we might miss something."

"Not a problem." He nodded as he steered the ship forward.

The mighty green airship seemed to be doing all right for its first run on water as it cut through the stream and passed over several rises with ease. Clyde was pleased with himself as he eyeballed the controls and grinned at the sights before him at the same time.

"If only there was some way I could step outside…" Stephanie said to herself.

"No need." Clyde's grin grew wider as yet another button was pressed.

A low beeping surrounded the ship as everybody looked up and noticed the hull beginning to lower itself. Slowly the arch split in two, carefully tucking the fin inside, and slid easily into the pockets of each side of the Track One. In less than a minute, the entire airship had now turned into a boat with a crew that was ready to take on anything. They unbuckled their safety belts and wandered around the deck, marveling at this new achievement while Clyde set the controls on autopilot.

It was obvious that Stephanie was more than impressed as she chuckled and held Clyde tightly around his waist. She put her head against his with a smile and kissed his cheek repeatedly.

"Go ahead." He said almost smugly. "You can say it."

"You're a genius." She kissed him again.

"Clyde…" A very proud Sportacus stepped over to the two and put a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "Good job. _Very_ good job."

"Thanks, uncle Sporty."

After they took their time to admire the scenery, Stephanie stood at the back of the ship and placed her hands on the edge with her gaze directly pointed at the calm body of water. She closed her eyes and felt the breeze blow against her face as the two amulets dangled from her neck. She couldn't sense a thing but knew the third amulet had to be under there somewhere, waiting for them to find it.

Meanwhile, Sportacus paced around the ship with an uneasy feeling in his gut. For the most part, it came from anticipation in hopes that they would find the amulet in time. He also felt like somebody was watching them. Staring at them from across the water, within the bushes as they moved gently with the wind. When suddenly…

"Geez, you look more nervous than a turkey around Thanksgiving."

"Robbie…" He almost winced. "What do you want?"

"Oh nothing." He casually leaned against the edge. "Just hanging out. Relaxing. I know that's hard for you to do sometimes. But hey! At least I can take some comfort knowing there's one thing I'm better at than you!"

"Whatever you say, Robbie."

"Mm-hmm." He nodded. "It's actually kind of nice to get out, I have to admit. I guess you were really onto something all these years."

"I guess so."

"So…" He crossed his arms with a sneaky look in his eye. "Anything you want to tell me, Sportac-c-c… Uhh, _Buddy_?"

"Buddy?" He turned and looked at Robbie's goofy expression. "Like what?"

"Oh, nothing."

"…Right."

"Yeah."

There was a pause. Sportacus kept looking around, possibly for something that wasn't even there while Robbie fidgeted as his bottom lip trembled with impatience. Finally, he stood up and faced his problem.

"All right, Sportakook!" He said. "I'm sick and tired of this! It's time we had a talk."

"Not here, Robbie." He sighed as his fears were finally coming true. "Anywhere but here."

"Oh no." Rottenella watched from the sides. "I better go do something."

_"Uno momento." _Salazar stopped her. "Let's see what he has to say."

"But--"

"Calm yourself. Everything will be fine."

Sportacus shook his head. "Robbie, I really don't want to deal with this right now."

"Then when?" He growled. "You can't keep running away from it. Things have changed now, Sportadoofus! We're playing a whole new ballgame here."

"I'm not running from anything, Robbie."

"So you're willing to come to terms with the truth?"

"What truth?"

"Don't play games with me, _bro_."

"Don't call me that."

There was another pause. Robbie just scoffed. "You still can't do it, can you?"

"I don't believe it."

"Sure you do. You just don't want to."

"There's no proof. The story doesn't make sense."

"What about my journal? The record I've been keeping about all my crazy dreams? The most recurring one involves me in a spinning room until there's a loud crash and I wind up in the orphanage. Think about it, Sportadorka! It makes sense why all these years my lair was actually an airship! Why I was adopted by a foster family and never knew my real parents. Until recently, that is…"

"They're not your parents."

"The hell they're not!"

"We're not related, Robbie."

"Your mom and dad matched our DNA! _Our_ mom and dad!"

Robbie's voice aroused attention as they all turned to see the two standing in the middle of the ship exchanging words. Stephanie sighed and approached the two, stepping in between the two.

"Sportacus! Robbie!" She said in a firm voice. "Stop it. You're brothers. Act like it."

"He won't listen!" Robbie pouted like a baby. "Tell him I'm right, Pinky!"

"Don't bring Stephanie into this, Robbie."

"You're not giving me much of a choice here, Sporta-c-c-c-" He stuttered. "Sporta-c-c-c…"

"What was that?"

"I said Sporta-c-c-c--aww hell!" He kicked the wall and walked away. "Whether you like it or not, Sportamonkey, we're on the same side now! And we're _definitely_ related!"

Moments passed and not a word was said. The awkwardness was far too great to comprehend so everyone tried to keep their minds focused on something else without saying anything to offend or add fuel to the fire. Stephanie continued focusing on the river as they continually passed through it when she suddenly remembered something. It was hanging there in the back of her mind the whole time but she was unable to put her finger on it. Now it was a matter of the utmost importance that she got Clyde's attention.

"Clyde!" She ran over to the pilot's seat. "We need to turn around!"

"What for?" He asked before he too suddenly remembered. "…Oh crap. Now I remember!"

"What? What is it?" Stingy was in a panic again.

Pixel looked at his scanners and gulped. "Uhh, guys? Why didn't you mention this before?"

"I know! I know! Sorry!" Stephanie shrieked. "Clyde?"

"I'm on it!" He started adjusting the controls. "It's gonna take a while!"

Ziggy noticed the current getting a little heavy. "Hey, what is this? Why's the water moving so fast all of a sudden?"

Trixie knew immediately and wasn't sure if she should laugh or cringe with fear. "Ziggy, do yourself a favor."

"What?"

"Strap yourself in and close your eyes."

Ziggy turned and noticed Stingy was already ahead of him then decided to follow his example. Salazar and Amelie felt the current picking up as well and looked across at the foaming edge of the river before them.

"A waterfall!?" Amelie gasped. "You did not say anything about a waterfall, Stephanie!"

"How many times do I have to say my bad!?" She griped as she helped Clyde work the controls.

The beeping returned and this time the hull was rising once again to prepare for the massive fall that was inevitable for the crew of the Track One. They scrambled back to their seats and strapped themselves in, gently rocking against the fast current. With an almost maniacal feeling of anticipation, Clyde laughed himself silly as he made a hard right towards the edge of the river.

"Clyde!" Stephanie closed her eyes.

"Computer! Let's lighten the mood!"

The music was loud enough to drown out the noise of the water surrounding them and at the same time, soothing enough to calm them down.

"Ready to go down?" Clyde looked over to his girlfriend as she studied the radar screen.

With a smile she nodded. "Let's do it."

_I don't know why I love her like I do. __All the changes you put me through. __Take my money, my cigarettes.  
I haven't seen the worst of it yet.  
I wanna know that you'll tell me.  
I love to stay._

"Here we go!" Clyde laughed again as the airship fell along the tide and nosedived into the water.

After a massive splash that rocked the entire cabin, Clyde weighed himself down on the controls and kept the direction forward. "All right, this is it! We're going down!"

_Take me to the river, drop me in the water.  
Take me to the river, dip me in the water.  
Washing me down, washing me down._

The button was pressed and in an instant, the computer's voice chimed. _"Initiating submergence. Now descending."_

The water fizzed and gurgled as the Track One slowly lowered into the abyss, the waterfall still attacking it from the top. The passengers rocked gently against the pounding and sat quietly in the red light that was now illuminating the interior. Clyde and Stephanie worked the controls with ease and moved along to the music to try and keep themselves and the others calm.

_I don't know why you treat me so bad.  
Think of all the things we could have had.  
Love is an ocean that I can't forget.  
My sweet sixteen I would never regret._

The computer hummed again, _"Descent at 60 percent. Adjusting side fins." _The ship was now shaking harder than ever, alarming everyone onboard.

"Ya hear that!? It's adjusting side fins!" Stingy screamed. "We're gonna die! We're gonna die, I tell you! DIE!!"

"Stingy, calm down!" Trixie held his hand tightly. "We're going to be okay! Clyde knows what he's doing!"

"Actually, it's my first attempt!" Clyde laughed maniacally as he shook up and down in his seat.

"Clyde, baby?" Stephanie grinned as she too rocked in place. "You want to tone it down just a bit? You're scaring Stingy."

_I wanna know that you'll tell me.  
I love to stay.  
Take me to the river, drop me in the water.  
Push me in the river, dip me in the water.  
Washing me down, washing me._

"Is it supposed to be this rough!?" Salazar's voice rattled with his body. "My butt's getting sore!"

"I'm getting a headache!" Pixel moaned.

"I'm getting sick!" Amelie whined.

"I'm getting diarrhea!" Ziggy added.

"From _this_!?"

"Just thought I'd share!"

"Almost there now…" Clyde wiped the sweat from his brow. "Just a little more… that's it, good… come on, baby… you can do it…"  
_  
Hug me, squeeze me, love me, tease me.  
Till I can't, till I can't, till I can't take no more of it.  
Take me to the water, drop me in the river.  
Push me in the water, drop me in the river.  
Washing me down, washing me down._

Once the shaking finally stopped, the voice of the Track One spoke yet again, _"We are now fully underwater. Estimated depth is at 15 feet. Ship thrusters are now activated and maintained at impulse speed. Vomit bags and antacids are located under your seats."_

"Oh, _je vous remercie _Computer…" Amelie sighed as she reached for her baggie. f

The view was simply breathtaking for the crew of the Track One as they witnessed all the wondrous things floating underwater from the arched window panes. Schools of small fish passed them by and caves hidden in the corners were illuminated by the headlights, scaring away more and more aquatic life. As they approached a jagged cliff sticking up from the ground, the amulets dangling from Stephanie's neck began to glow.

"What the…" She felt the energy pulsating within her. "…You guys? I think we're here."

"We are?" Clyde looked at her. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive."

Just then, the two gems lit up even brighter and formed a beam with their combined magic that darted harmlessly through the window and towards the spiky crag before them. It was now burning with a thin blue light that was clearly visible to Stephanie and her friends.

"It's somewhere on that pillar." She concluded. "Time to go to work."

"Computer." Clyde started. "Hydrosuits."

"Hydro-what?" Trixie raised an eyebrow.

The wall panel in the back turned over to reveal four gray and white suits in a protective fabric complete with gloves, boots and helmet. Stephanie, Sportacus, Pixel and Clyde walked over and grabbed their suits until Clyde stepped back and thought for a moment.

"What is it?" His uncle asked.

"Somebody has to stay and control the ship."

"Just leave it on auto." Suggested Stephanie.

"It's a little different underwater, Steph. I haven't quite worked out the mechanics just yet and I don't want to risk damaging it."

"I'll go!" Robbie volunteered. "I'll help you guys out!"

"No." Sportacus shook his head.

"Sportacus, come on." Stephanie pleaded. "We might need him. He _is _taller than all of us."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I don't know. I'm just trying to make him feel important."

"Oh."

"I'm right here, you know!" Robbie frowned.

He looked at his nephew, who nodded approvingly, and sighed heavily. "All right. But don't do anything unless I tell you."

"Hey! I don't have to take orders from you! If I remember correctly, _I'm_ the older brother!"

Sportacus got in his face and repeated himself firmly. "Don't. Do. Anything."

"…Ha ha." He gulped. "You're the boss!"

Once they were suited up, Robbie gave his future bride a quick kiss on the lips and headed into the decompression chamber next to Pixel and Sportacus. Stephanie carefully tucked the amulets into the pouch of her glove and kissed her boyfriend lovingly and almost excitedly.

"I'll be behind you every step of the way." He smiled at her.

"Good." She smiled back, giving him one last kiss before heading into the chamber.

Stingy and Trixie watched them part ways and began to feel a sort of tension rising within them. They slowly turned their heads and exchanged glances awkwardly before turning back away and staring into nothingness.

"They sure are cute together…" Trixie finally said. "…Don't you think?"

"Huh? Well, uhh…" He cleared his throat. "Yeah, I guess… I mean if you're into that sort of thing…"

The chamber hissed and opened up, sending the four scouts out into the wild blue yonder. The ship's computer then locked onto their position and displayed their location on the radar screen.

"Where'd you get the suits?" Rottenella asked Clyde, who sat with a close eye on his monitor.

"It's something Pixel and I came up with. They're like scuba suits only more advanced and harder to tear through. The air tanks are built inside and spread out like a nervous system, making it a lot easier for them to move around. The gloves have a built in keypad that can activate several features the suits come with."

"Like what?"

"Gravity boots, for one. High intensity lasers that can cut through rock and metal. It can also activate the retrorockets located in the boots in case someone gets in a bind."

"Wow."

"I know. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Actually I was going to say you and Pixel are a couple of nerds but yeah. I guess they are kind of cool."

Clyde just looked at her. "Hey, I wouldn't be talking. Your fiancé fits in the same category as us."

"My fiancé? You mean your uncle."

"Yeah, that too. My…" His eyes widened. "Whoa… _creepy_."

Far from the floating airship, the four LazyTowners walked along the rocky path of the river bottom with the specially designed boots Clyde had provided them with. The whole time, Robbie walked behind his brother with a smug look on his face and waited for the blue sports elf to finally concede and admit the truth. No such luck, however, as they were now standing in front of the stonewall that towered above them.

"It's here, all right." Stephanie nodded. "I can feel its presence."

"Where exactly, Stephanie?" Sportacus asked, turning his attention to Pixel. "Pixel? You found something?"

"I'm scanning." He said, keeping his view on his wrist monitor. "Yup. I'm definitely picking up something here."

"So what do we do, Poodle?" Robbie grumbled. "Dig?"

"Sure, we can do that." He said as he activated his laser. "Or we can carve our way through."

They all nodded and activated their laser systems, pointing at the rock and blasting away in an organized fashion. Chunks of rock and dirt began to merge with the smoke and form a swirling ball of dark water that impaired their view. Once they stopped and the swirling black ball dissolved, the gold amulet was now in plain view, wedged in between the foundations. Pixel tried to laser his way through again but to no avail. Stephanie, however, had a plan of her own.

"Step back." She said as she pulled out the Earth amulet. In an instant, the green light reignited and spread itself throughout every corner, wrinkle and crack on the wall. It was apparent that the ground was now terraforming before them and Stephanie was the cause of it all.

Once the pillar shattered completely, throwing the amulet across the water, the rest of the foundations crumbled to the ground and dissolved into pure ash. Stephanie activated the retros on her boots and launched herself backwards, reaching out and catching her prize with ease.

"Got it!" She exclaimed with joy.

Everyone in the ship cheered for their gal Steph and applauded as they waited for the four to return. Moments later, after the Track One had resurfaced and lowered its hulls again, the crew surrounded a very gleeful Stephanie, who held out the new amulet to the sky victoriously.

"I knew you could do it, Steph!" Trixie hugged her friend.

"Thanks, guys!" She giggled.

"Now what?" Salazar asked. "We head back home?"

"That's the idea." Sportacus nodded before he stopped for a minute and turned around to look across the river. The bushes on the plain before them were blowing again but not as they were before. An uneasy feeling was swelling up inside him again. "Wait a minute… Something's definitely not right."

"What is it?" Trixie asked as she, Stephanie and Salazar approached him. "Is something wrong, Sportacus?"

"I don't know…"

"For God's sake, tell us man." Salazar pleaded. "What is it? Do you think--"

Salazar was silenced immediately when, from out of nowhere, a blade pierced through his chest and caught the crew's attention. The Spaniard gasped at the sight before him and passed out, dropping to the floor with the blade still attached.

"A knife to the back…" A voice said before a blur of colors materialized in thin air before forming a full figure dressed in pure black. "…If you ask me, it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy."

"No…" Amelie kneeled before her fallen companion.

Stephanie and her friends stepped back and knew who it was they were dealing with now. The pink-haired girl balled up her fist and stared her enemy straight in the eye and muttered his name with nothing but anger and malice in her voice:

"Chameleon."

_**A/N: I was cold. I was hot. I was somewhere in between but I couldn't quite figure it out. First the headaches. Then the queasiness. Dizziness soon followed and then I had the coughing, which then evolved into a sore throat. A broken limb would have sufficed. Or another damaged knee at least. Give me pain! Give me suffering! Give me death! Anything but a sore throat! **_

_**I slept, knowing I had promised to update. The guilt drove me to madness. I was soaring in outer space, bumping into the Enterprise, swiping Shatner's wig and was on my way to the pearly gates when the ghost of Elvis held me close in his bosom. He said to me, "Would you like a peanut butter and banana sandwich?" And I said, "Hold the bacon, toss me a Snapple and you've got yourself a deal!"**_

**_And then… I woke up. Feeling slightly better, save for the occasional headache and the demonic sore throat, I rushed to my computer and vowed to update my story even if it killed me. Three hours later, after the doctors brought me back to life, I returned home and did what I promised, despite the fact I was a day or two late. They told me it was food poisoning. But what do they know? Everything, apparently. Since they're doctors and all. Oh well. At least I did what I said I'd do! Now if you'll excuse me, I have 2 full pounds of lozenges to consume. _**

* * *

**Song:**

**Take Me To The River by Talking Heads**


	8. Shadows Of The Past

**VII**

He stared at them menacingly behind his black hood and facemask, leaving only his pale white eyes visible. Though they had never seen his real face before, the stealthy suit and mask were more than enough to identify him as a threat and an enemy to all things good and decent. He looked down at Demetrius's two students, one bleeding on the floor and the other hovering above him in tears, and scoffed before turning his attention back to the crew of the Track One, who were readily standing by to act.

"What do you want, Chameleon?" Stephanie fiercely kept her eyes on him.

"Are you really asking me that question?"

"You're not getting it."

"What if I said please?"

"No."

"Don't be a fool, little girl."

"You're the one who snuck aboard an overpopulated airship, outnumbering you eleven to one. Who's the fool now?"

"I believe you'll find the odds are now _ten_ to one." He motioned towards Salazar's now lifeless body.

Ziggy, calculator in hand, tried to make sense of all this rambling. "Wait, so… minus one… equals… eight? Wait, how did I get eight? Pixel, let me see your--"

"Shut up, Ziggy!" He punched his arm. "This is serious!"

"I don't have time for games, pink one." He held out his hand. "The amulet or your life. I'll take both if I have to."

"Come and get me." She dared him.

"With pleasure."

In the blink of an eye, he swept his boot across Amelie's face, knocking her out on the floor and front-flipped his way towards the group where he punched his way through Pixel and Ziggy simultaneously. He quickly ducked a punch from Sportacus and jabbed him in the ribs, turning his body over and shoving him towards Robbie and Rottenella to temporarily immobilize them. Trixie protectively pushed Stingy aside and ran for her opponent but immediately found a boot to her face that knocked her out cold like Amelie before her. Clyde and Stephanie then charged for Chameleon in an organized fashion and swung their fists around, hitting nothing but air until they found themselves being used for support to launch the black-suited menace across the sky and onto the other side of the deck.

"Wow." An impressed Clyde muttered. "He's good."

"He wishes…" Stephanie grinned as she held out her newfound weapon, it's bright blue gem glowing with energy.

The Track One began to shake, waking those who had been put out and alarming those were momentarily blindsided. Stephanie held her grip on the amulet as the others stood by and watched as the water around the ship began to move about on its own. Chameleon instinctively knew something was wrong and turned around to jump ship when he noticed the massive whirlpool forming behind him. In no time at all, a powerful concentrated force of water shot out of the center and literally punched Chameleon square in the face.

Stephanie took advantage of this and caught the man in a binding headlock, to which he responded by simply kicking her in the face and forcing her to let go. He turned around to face her, raising his fist to backhand Clyde, and began throwing every fighting move he knew in her direction. She deflected every blow quickly and effectively with expert precision until their left hands interlocked arms and their right hands stuck to each other's throats.

"Not bad, pink one."

"You're not so bad yourself… for a _girl_."

Insulted, Chameleon squeezed her neck harder and prepared to break it when his anger and annoyance finally caught up to him and repaired his judgment. Slowly, he let go of her and backed away with a grin tucked behind his facemask, chuckling to himself.

"What are you laughing at?" Stephanie panted.

"Oh, nothing. I just wasn't expecting you to put up much of a fight. Although I should have known you wouldn't go down so easily. I'm impressed."

"You're not escaping this time, Chameleon."

"Don't be too sure." He stood on the edge of the ship, ready to dive in the water.

"You wouldn't."

"You've got your tricks, I've got my own."

"So you sneak aboard, trying to take the amulet away from me, you kill one of our men, knock everybody out then leave. Is that all you came here for?"

"I admit I didn't come here knowing what to expect. But Reiko is waiting for me and I mustn't be late."

"Chameleon, think about what you're doing! You're working for a madman!"

"I wouldn't have it any other way. Keep your amulet, Stephanie." He leaned closer to the edge. "We _will _meet again."

"Don't."

"See you in Aðalsteinn!"

And with that he was gone, plunged into the depths of the Yawn River. Stephanie sighed with defeat and turned to see her friends huddling around their fallen comrade. She stepped in between Sportacus and Clyde and looked at the tears falling down Amelie's face as she cradled Salazar's body in her arms.

"Amelie…" She started. "…Is he?"

"Yes." The Frenchwoman sniffled. "He's gone."

Sportacus looked down. "…And so is Chameleon. Worse yet, he knows where we're going."

"We should rendezvous with Astral and the others back in HazyTown." Stephanie said softly. "They should be there by now."

The ride over to HazyTown was long, uncomfortable and eerily quiet. When the Track One landed in the temple courtyard, Demetrius, Astral and Bob were already there waiting for them. They were soon taken by surprise at the sight of Sportacus, Clyde, Stephanie and Robbie walking down the airship's ramp, carrying a man on a gurney. It didn't take long at all for them to realize who it was.

"Salazar." Demetrius closed his eyes and lowered his head.

"How?" Astral asked.

"Chameleon." Was all the pink-haired one said as she led the others inside the temple.

Later that night, after the temple monks had buried Salazar and performed a rather dreary and gloomy ritual for their fallen companion, Stephanie found herself patrolling the streets alone under the full moon. She looked up to see the Track One hovering above her and took comfort in knowing that her boyfriend was up there safely and away from harm. The loss of Salazar was bad enough but if something were to happen to her beloved, she was afraid she would do something regrettable. She erased these negative thoughts in her mind and leaned against the brick wall of one of the Victorian buildings in the town square.

"This wasn't supposed to happen." She said under her breath.

"Nothing ever turns out the way we expect." Said a voice standing beside her in the dark.

"That's for sure."

"You mustn't fret, Stephanie. Salazar did his part. Now we must do ours."

"I know. I have the amulet now but… this still feels like an empty victory. How did Chameleon know where we were headed?"

"He was on the Track One the whole time. You said it yourself."

"Yeah but how did he get there in the first place? Did he follow us from CrazyTown? Was he in LazyTown the whole time? I mean… What do we do now?

"Exactly what you planned to do. Continue on to Aðalsteinn and track down the final amulet. Remus cannot win this fight."

"I don't think it'll be that easy this time…" She cracked her knuckles and looked up at the moon. "…Astral?"

"Yes?"

"What's he like?"

"Who?"

"Khan."

"Reiko Jynn-Khan is a menace. He's completely different from Remus in many ways."

"I doubt it."

"Believe me, Stephanie. Though it may be hard for you to believe or even contemplate, I sense there is still some good in Remus waiting to come out."

"You're right. I _do_ find that hard."

"Remus is hot-tempered, moody, childish and all around stupid. He may seem like an evil genius at times but his common sense is often blurred in the middle of a conflict."

"He killed Catalina. He was trying to kill _me_."

"An overlooked incident I admit was unavoidable. But I know he would have felt remorse for her afterwards. He used to be a hero, you know."

"And Reiko? What about him?"

"Reiko is a world apart. He's sadistic. Insane and ludicrously violent. He'll kill anyone that so much as gives him a dirty look. Even out of sheer boredom, people have fallen by his hand. He kills for his own sick pleasure, Stephanie. He's the _real_ enemy."

"Can he be stopped?"

"I don't see why not. It's happened before."

"How did _they_ do it?"

"They… they had some help."

"Help? From who?"

* * *

_Tarkin met with the happy couple in his waiting room with his hands tucked in his robe. He went through the usual greetings and sat them down on the furniture before them with a huge grin on his face. Hallbjörn took it as a sign of glad tidings. _

"_Hal, my good friend…"_

_"You've done it."_

_"Indeed I have." He took out his left hand and unfolded a black sheet to reveal three crystals in his palm. "The crystals you requested."_

_"Wonderful." Hal said as he picked one up and examined it closely. "The craftsmanship is incredible."_

_"The magical properties each crystal holds within can be used only in a time of crisis. You were planning on spreading them across the Trinity, were you not?" _

"_Yes. One crystal to guard each town."_

_"What were the towns again?"_

_"Latibær, Misturbær and Bjánibær."_

"_And you've been there before?"_

_"Oh yes. You'll never find a friendlier or more peaceful triumvirate. Incidentally, I should probably mention that two of the towns have undergone some significant changes."_

_"Such as?"_

_"Lionel James Hazel, a great leader to the town of Misturbær has passed away recently. The people have decided to rename their town after him in his honor. They're now calling it HazyTown."_

"_Odd name."_

_"Oh it gets better. Bjánibær has suddenly become a safe haven for psychotic and mentally deranged citizens ever since the mayor authorized the building of a new sanitarium. Other towns usually shun the idea and try to avoid taking such drastic measures when it comes to people with such disorders. Last I heard, they were thinking of renaming the town CrazyTown. But of course, I'm sure it was all just a joke."_

_Tarkin laughed and noticed Jezelle sitting down with her hands gently placed over her eight month pregnant belly . The councilman slowly approached her and admired the sight, his hand being led by the woman's to feel the moving bump. _

"_Do you feel that?" She asked him. "The baby's kicking."_

_"So it is."_

_"I can't believe I'm actually going to be a father."_

_"I take it you two aren't going to stop with just the one?"_

_There was a knock on the door. Seconds later, a trainee in a yellow uniform splotched with blood came rushing in out of breath. He fell to his knees but managed to get back up with the help of Hallbjorn. _

"_Dalton?" Tarkin hurried over to him. "What is it? What's happened?"_

_"Sir…" He hyperventilated. "…The training room… there's been… an incident…"_

_"An incident?"_

_A sudden explosion from within the halls caught them off guard as a trail of smoke began to seep through every entrance of the room. Tarkin took charge of the situation as he unraveled a wand from behind his sash and pointed it at the large cloud of black smoke coming their way. A bright flash of light emanating from the wand managed to clear the smoke out and tear down the door standing in their way. Once the four made it into the halls they could see everyone running around in a frenzy, trying to put out the fire that was tearing through the village circle. _

"_Alfonse, what's happening!?" A very worried Jezelle asked as she covered her face from the smoke._

"_I… I wish I knew." He paused for a moment then hurried off. "The training room! We must head there at once!" _

_The people screamed and held their loved ones close as the mages of the Mutari Legion used their magic to kill the fire. The guardsmen, meanwhile, attended to the needs of many and helped evacuate several areas before the fires spread. Among the crowds, a young Astral watched the devastation that surrounded him then took a moment to stare down at the gold pocket watch he had in his palm. Without the slightest feeling of remorse or fear, he continued on the golden path with his back to his Mutari brethren._

_Inside the training room, Tarkin hurried through the entrance and stopped immediately to take in the horror that was in front of him. The ground was cracked, walls were torn down, pillars broken in half and a small trail of fire led to the one man responsible for it all. _

"_Reiko?"_

_He turned around and chuckled. "Tarkin. So good to see you this evening."_

_"What happened?"_

_"I did it!" He spread his arms out to reveal a pair of amulets dangling from each hand. "I harnessed the power of the amulets! I achieved my life's work and now I will take what is mine!"_

"_Reiko, what are you talking about? Why did you set fire to the village? Why did you wreck the training grounds? I demand an answer!" _

"_You aren't in a position to demand anything, Alfonse!"_

_The trail grew larger as the flames thickened, forcing Tarkin to back off. Seconds later, Dalton and Hallbjörn caught up with them inside the cavern and were surprised to see all the damage that had been done._

"_Reiko, where are your students?"_

_"Ah, yes. Saul and Emir. Two great minds far ahead of their time, I would say. Not to mention that lovely Lara Kal, a beauty of such wonder, such purity… though between you and me, I think the purity ran out a long time ago, ha ha."_

"_Where are they?" Tarkin repeated himself. _

"_LET GO OF ME!" A woman's voice startled them. _

_They turned to see Lara being forced out from behind a stone wall as a young man in a black and teal uniform kept his arm firmly around her neck and a knife pointed directly at her face. She struggled with her captor, who was obviously stronger than her, and trembled for fear of her life. _

"_Lara." Dalton reached for her. "Let her go!"_

_"No, I don't think so." Khan shook his head._

_"You son of a--"_

_"I'd be careful, son." He held his arm out, charging one of the amulets. "You don't want to end up like them, do you?"_

"_Them?"_

_The Earth amulet came to life and sprung two pillars from the ground that stood on each side of Reiko. When the dust cleared, they were shocked to find the bodies of Khan's students hanging from the rocky spikes. It was evident by the marks on their faces that Emir and Saul were tortured before they were finally sent to their deaths by the makeshift gallows._

"_Good lord…" Hallbjörn gasped. "Your own students, Khan?"_

_"Why are you doing this!?" An appalled Tarkin shouted, arming himself with his wand._

"_It's a celebration, you unimaginative oaf!" Khan pranced over to Lara and her mysterious young captor. "In honor of my recent success! By the way, have you met my assistant Camille? He's a really nice guy once you get past the killing and mutilation. I especially enjoyed the rope work he did on those boys' necks, I mean what skill!"_

_"I won't stand for this any longer!" Tarkin released an energy beam from his weapon._

_The amulets glowed fiercely and surrounded Khan in a protective circle of magic. Soon the rocks and boulders in the room began to levitate and hurl towards the three men. Tarkin acted quickly as he flung his wand around, shattering the rocks and reducing them to nothing but dust. Hallbjörn and Dalton assisted the man, taking shots with their own wands and bringing down whatever Kahn threw at them. The fighting stopped momentarily when Khan put his hands around the scared young woman. _

"_Gentlemen, why are we fighting!? We should make love, not war…" He rubbed his face against hers and chuckled. "Camille? Do what you love most…" _

"_With pleasure." He said as he dropped the knife and broke the woman' s neck, killing her instantly. _

"_NO!" Dalton charged for the man._

"_Dalton, wait!" Hal tried to stop him. _

_Camille dropped the lifeless body to the floor and kicked his pursuer in the throat, pushing him back against a wall. He then reached into his belt, knowing Dalton wasn't giving up the fight, and took out a thin, silver-tipped dart from his pouch. Once the magic apprentice was in range, he flung the dart at his neck and watched him drop to his knees, choking on his own blood. In his final moment of pure agony and defeat, Dalton looked straight up at his attacker's sinister and emotionless white eyes before vanishing in a bright light. _

"_Isn't he a genius!?" Khan applauded his companion. "And now, my friends… It's time to say goodbye."_

_Reiko balled up his fists and charged the magic amulets, causing the gems to pulsate heavily, and formed a sphere of raw energy before him. The wind picked up as the ground shook, the fires spread and streams of water began to fall from the jagged cliffs surrounding them. Tarkin stood his ground and clutched his wand tightly as he held it before his newfound enemy, chanting something aloud. _

"_Elementum laxo vestri nefas! Lacio sicco Incendia! Aequora! Ventus! Terra invado!"_

_In no time at all, Reiko was surrounded by a swirling vortex of multicolored energy that was too overwhelming for him. His magic attacks suffered an early fate as he dropped his amulets on the floor and jolted back and forth from the intensity of Tarkin's spell. He could feel his head grow weary and his body turn to stone while Camille took cover behind one of the edgy cliffs. _

"_What are you doing, you fool!?"_

_"Only what is necessary, Khan! You crossed the line!"_

_"This city will crumble without me! You need me!"_

_"Can't you hear yourself talking!? You've gone insane, man! You must suffer the consequences for your actions!"_

"_Consequences!? Ha! Do what you will, Alfonse! But be warned! There are those who will carry out my bidding! Finish what I have started!"_

_"No. It ends here with you, Reiko. Farewell."_

_And like that, the nightmare was over. Reiko Jynn-Khan stood before them as a frozen reflection covered in pure gold. Camille sighed with defeat and snuck away, never to be seen or heard from again for quite a while. Watching from a distance, secluded behind the safety of the giant crags of the hall, Astral bowed his head and turned around to leave._

_"I suppose it's up to me now." _

* * *

"…So Sportacus's parents were there the day Reiko… went crazy?" Stephanie asked, stunned by the shocking revelations. "So that means Jezelle was pregnant with Robbie at the time. It's all so strange…"

"I know it is."

"But what happened to Camille? And the amulets? And you? What did you do next that had you exiled here in HazyTown?"

The old man coughed for a bit and cleared his throat. "Perhaps I'll tell you later. But for now…"

He started for the temple, where he could see Amelie through the archway, kneeling before a vigil and placing a red rose on the ground next to several others. The blond woman wiped the tears from her eyes and stood back up, turning to leave.

"_Au revoir, Monsieur _Vega…"

Stephanie walked back to the monastery, where everyone was staying for the night, when she looked back up at the Track One. Inside, Clyde was finishing a few touchups on the ship when he heard the familiar whooshing noise coming from the raising platform. He was greeted by a heavy and passionate kiss from his girl in pink then found himself trapped in a tight and loving embrace. He could hear her breathing softly and felt the tears dampen his green shirt. He lifted her head up gently and wiped her eyes clean with a concerned look on his face.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just… I just want to be here with you… where I know I'll be safe."

"You're always safe with me, angel."

He picked her up and took her over to the bed, where he sat down and cradled her protectively as she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face further into his chest.

"Are you okay?" He asked her as he kissed her forehead. "Do you need anything?"

"No." She whispered, her eyes closed. "Just hold me."

And so he did. For the remainder of the night.

_**A/N: Hmm. Needs more funny. I'll fix that.**_


	9. Meet The Rottens

_**A/N: Sunburned… on my face… need mask… to hide scars… **_

**VIII**

Spirits were low and damp on the way back to LazyTown. They had lost one of their own, Chameleon had escaped and the fact that he knew where they were headed only made things worse. If there was any silver lining in all of this, it was Stephanie's discovery of the Water amulet. Once everybody made it off the Track One, the Mayor and Ms. Busybody, along with several members of the Trinity Watch including Cosgrove, greeted them with hopes of good news.

"Stephanie, dear!" He hugged his niece. "How did it go?"

"See for yourself." She held out the small golden disc.

"That's wonderful, dear!" Bessie applauded. "How many did you say are left?"

"Just one."

"That's good!"

"No. That's bad."

"Bad?"

"It's in Sportacus's homeland."

"That's good!"

"No. That's bad."

"Bad?"

"Chameleon knows we're headed there next. Although… no one knows exactly where it is…"

"That's bad."

"No. That's good!"

"What?"

"If they don't know where it is, then they can't possibly get to it first!"

"That's good!"

"No, wait…"

"Oh make up your mind already!"

"Sorry. I'm having a hard time distinguishing between what's good and what sucks for us right now."

"We hit a few bumps on the road yesterday." Sportacus nodded. "We got the amulet but at a very high price."

Cosgrove could see that someone from the group was absent. "Wait a minute. Moussette!"

Amelie slowly looked up at the man. _"Oui, monsieur?" _

"Where the hell's Vega?"

"He…" She sighed. "…He will not be coming back."

"Huh?" He stood there and watched her leave.

"We were attacked by Chameleon." Stephanie explained. "Salazar didn't make it out alive."

"Oh my…" Bessie gasped.

"What are your plans now, Sportacus?" Cosgrove asked, shaking his head from the bad news.

"We head for Aðalsteinn tomorrow. If Chameleon knows where we're going then that means Remus knows too. And with this Reiko Jynn-Khan person on his side, we can't allow them to get there before us."

"If they know at all how to get there." Clyde added.

"But for today…" He looked at Stephanie. "I suggest everyone spends some time with their loved ones. We leave first thing in the morning."

She nodded agreeingly. "Great idea."

"How about I cook a big 'going-away' dinner for everybody tonight?" Bessie suggested. "Does that sound good? Wonderful! I'd better go shopping! Milford! Come with me!"

"Oh, dear…"

"MILFORD!!"

"Er, coming Ms. Busybody!"

* * *

_I like my town with a little drop of poison.  
Nobody knows they're lining up to go insane.  
I'm all alone, I smoke my friends down to the filter  
But I feel much cleaner after it rains._

Stingy, Trixie and Ziggy were huddled around Pixel in his room and watched the computer screen while the gizmo guy rapidly stroked his fingers along the keyboard. They stared in awe at all the various blueprints and scans Pixel was uploading into the computer drive of his wristband.

"You're gonna take these designs with you to Aðalsteinn?" Ziggy asked.

"Why not? There's no telling what kind of trouble we might run into over there. If worse comes to worse, I'll have to break out the heavy artillery."

"Heavy artillery?" Stingy rolled his eyes. "There you go again, talking like we're entering a war zone."

"You never know, Stingy." Trixie shrugged. "Neither of us have ever seen or heard about this Reiko Jynn-Khan guy before. And if he's as dark and twisted as Astral says he is, then why not take every precaution necessary?"

"Okay, fine. But what I want to know is why are _we_ the ones who have to go and stop them? Don't you think there are enough people in the Trinity Watch as it is to get the job done?"

"No one says we _have_ to go."

"Yeah. We joined the Trinity Watch voluntarily." Pixel turned from his screen to face his friend. "We saved LazyTown before so we figured we could do it again."

"But the stakes have been raised this time." Stingy stood his ground. "Remus is more powerful than ever, he's got a horde of minions at his disposal and he's teamed up with someone who may be crazier than he is!"

"We know this already." Trixie got in his face. "We're doing this to save our home and the homes of others. No matter the cost."

"Look, I just don't like the idea of going to some strange new land to pick up a piece of magic jewelry then possibly get ambushed by a bunch of moving rock people!"

"Nobody's forcing you to go, Stingy. You can just stay here and wait for us to come back."

"You mean _if_ you come back."

"Is that what's bothering you, Stingy? Getting killed?"

"Well, I…." He stepped back defensively. "… I just…"

"You just what?"

"Well you saw what happened yesterday!"

"So you're afraid something might happen to you?"

"No, not _me_! Uhh…"

"Then who?"

"…Uhh…" He stammered immensely as her cat-like eyes pierced through him again. "…I just don't want to see anything bad happen to someone, okay!?"

"Some more than others…" Pixel muttered under his breath with a grin, aware of Stingy's feelings.

_She left in the fall, that's her picture on the wall.  
She always had that little drop of poison.  
She left in the fall, that's her picture on the wall.  
She always had that little drop of poison._

Throughout all this, Ziggy just stood there watching them with a piece of gum in his mouth. Chewing. Popping. Moving it around with his tongue, completely bored and uninterested in what his friends were arguing about. When they finished, he sighed heavily and leaned against the desk.

"That's real nice of you and everything, Stingy…" He said in the dullest voice imaginable. "But you guys _will _let me in on the plan next time, right? I mean no matter how small or insignificant my role may be in it, you _will_ tell me?"

"Yes, Ziggy." Pixel sighed. "We'll tell you."

"Because I don't want to you to feel obligated to protect me or anything just because I'm a bit younger than you guys. I mean I know I can be a bit childish sometimes…"

"That's for sure."

"…But I swear to you, I'll man up one of these days!"

"Sure, Ziggy."

"Yeah. No problem, Ziggy."

"That's the spirit, Ziggy."

"So we're agreed? You'll treat me like an adult? An equal? Show me a little respect from now on?"

They looked at each other and shrugged, muttering several random incoherencies much to the candy connoisseur's chagrin. "Oh, you guys suck!"

* * *

_Did the devil make the world while god was sleeping?  
Someone said you'll never get a wish from a bone.  
Another wrong good-bye and a hundred sailors.  
That deep blue sky is my home._

In another suburban neighborhood further on down the road to LazyTown, a purple '78 Camaro strolled through the iron gates that welcomed them and parked on one of the driveways belonging to several of the four door garages. They stepped out of the vehicle and took a moment to gaze up at the towering mansion that stood before them, elegant yet slightly gothic and all around classy.

"And you… _lived_ here?"

"For as long as I can remember."

"You never told me you were loaded."

"Does it matter?"

"No, of course not. I just think it's weird you'd choose to live in an underground airship instead of… well, y'know…" She eyeballed the brickwork.

"Look, I'll tell you what… After we're married and after I've found and worked out all the kinks in the lair, we'll get a house. A _real_ house. Just for us."

"We really don't have to if you don't want to."

"Whatever makes you happy, my dear, I'll do it."

"Really?"

"Of course!"

"Oh, Robbie! Our children are gonna--"

"Oh, look! There's the door! Let's say we knock on it, huh?"

The Rotten one walked over to the doorstep and placed his fingers around the 'R'-shaped handle, knocking three times. When the door opened, Robbie put on a grin and opened his mouth to speak only to be punched out and watch the door close again. Robbie regained his balance and checked his nose for blood, sighing with relief to find none and knocked again. He could see the worry and confusion on his future bride's face.

"Ha ha." He chuckled. "It's a family thing."

The door opened again to reveal a tall man in his late fifties, scruffy gray sideburns to go with his otherwise smooth black hair and a scowl as big as he was. "Well? What do you want? I'm not buying anything, that's for damn sure!"

"Pops!" He held his arms out. "It's me! It's Robbie!"

"Robbie?" He suddenly mellowed out. "Oh, Robbie! It's good to see you again, son!"

The man lovingly wrapped his gigantic arms around Robbie, squeezing the air out of him and led him and his fiancée inside the house. "Come on in! Rachel! Come out of the kitchen! I've got a surprise for you! God, it's been a long time!"

"Sure has, Pops!" Robbie then noticed an old man, sitting in the corner of the den, twitching and making funny faces. "Hey, Uncle Randy! How are you?"

"GARLIC MAKES MY FEET STINK!" He shouted then twitched some more.

"That's great. Pops, I want you to meet Rottenella."

"Hello, sir." She shook the man's hand and smiled. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"She's my fiancée!"

"That's great, son! I'm proud of you! I'm--wait a minute! She's your _what_!?"

"Uhh, well… I'm getting married to her!"

"You're _WHAT_!? Oh no! No! No! No! Rachel! Get over here now! Rachel!"

"Oh pipe down, you loudmouthed, fish-bellied heathen!" An older woman said as she slowly walked out from the hallway.

"Good God. And I thought I flushed my toilet!"

"No good son-in-law…"

"Zip it! Or I'll bust that fake hip of yours!"

"I'd like to see you try, you ugly ogre…"

"Woman, don't you test me!"

"Granny Esther!" Robbie rushed over to hug his dear old grandmother and introduced her to his future bride. She took the news positively unlike her son-in-law and chuckled to herself.

"Well what do you know?" She said with a grin.

"RICHARD SIMMONS WAS AN ASTRONAUT!" Uncle Randy went on again.

"Now what's all the fuss?" Another woman walked in, wiping her hands on an apron. "Robbie? Robbie, is that you?"

"Hi, Ma!" He hugged her.

"Oh, Robbie! I'm so glad to see you!" She hugged him for a few seconds before beating him over the head with her cloth. "Lousy neglectful son of mine! Why didn't you drop by sooner!? Would it kill you to at least call your mother once in a while!?"

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry! Ma! Calm down! I have a guest with me!"

"A guest?" She calmed down and looked at Rottenella. "Why, Robbie! She's beautiful! What's your name, dear/"

"Rottenella, ma'am." She said shyly. "I'm engaged to your son."

"…Oh great." She sighed. "I mean I'm happy for you two, don't get me wrong but… Robbie, sweetie? Are you sure you're not… y'know…"

"What?" He looked at her a bit baffled.

"Well I mean are you sure this isn't some kind of, uhh… 'phase' or something? You're not… well, I mean you're not… _gay_?"

"Gay? No."

"Not even a tiny bit?"

"No. Why?"

"Damn it!" She hurried over to the staircase and began calling out to several people. "Okay everybody! The game's over! Robbie's back!"

Upstairs, a young man stuck his head out from his bedroom door. "Robbie's back!?"

"Robbie's back!? Another young relative revealed himself.

Soon, more and more heads and bodies were coming outside their rooms and heading downstairs to greet their relative and meet his new fiancée. Rachel Rotten, female head of the Rotten clan, plowed her way through the crowd with a slip of paper in her hand and whistled to get everyone's attention.

"All right, all right! Calm down!" She raised her voice. "Okay! So the ruling is 'Robbie is not gay'! Which means…"

"What about bi? Is he bi!?" A voice spoke.

"No, Cousin Rocco. He's not bi!"

"Aw fiddlesticks!"

"I SEE DUTCH PEOPLE!"

"What's going on here!?" A very perturbed and embarrassed Robbie asked as Rottenella held his arm tight.

"I'll explain in a minute, dear." His mother continued. "With this lovely young woman at Robbie's side to support his claim, this can only mean that Grandma Rotten is the winner of the pot!"

"Damn straight!" The old woman cackled as she danced a jig. "Now gimme my check!"

"Here you go, mom."

"Thank you!" She swiped the check from Rachel and bit down on it to verify its authenticity, which was more than bizarre.

"Wait a minute!" An offended and humiliated Robbie lashed out at his foster family. "You mean to tell me you were all betting against me to see if I was straight or not!?"

"Not necessarily, son." His father put an arm around him. "What we did was a pool. We each drew a certain event that would probably occur in your life that would somehow prevent you from getting married or having kids, with the million-to-one chance that you might actually get married. So we went ahead and threw that possibility in there just to shake things up a bit."

"And wouldn't you know it?" Granny Rotten folded her check. "I got stuck with that one! Though, honestly, I always thought you'd blow yourself up with those inventions you're always working on!"

"That's why you were hoping I was gay, Ma!?"

"Well your _father_ was hoping. Not me. I really didn't care since I didn't draw an event. Oh, Richard, talk to him!"

"Son, you see--"

"Pops, what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing! What's a little harmless cash pot amongst family?"

"So you'd be okay with me If I had turned out… _that way_?"

"For a half mil? Why the hell not!?"

"Gee, thanks…" He rolled his eyes.

"Look, even if we didn't put money on it… I still wouldn't have minded. After all, you're my son. Which makes you a Rotten. And we Rottens stick together like sweat on a hog. And this lovely young lady you're about to marry will make a fine addition to the family. The best of luck to you both."

"Thanks, Pops." He smiled before remembering the other reason he came. "…Oh no… no, no, no…"

"What is it?"

"I forgot to tell you…" He took a deep breath. "I found my… What I mean to say is…"

"Robbie." Rottenella held his hand firmly. "It's okay. You can tell them."

"Yeah… I found my birth parents."

"Your what?" Rachel gasped.

"I found my real mother and father." He paused. "…And brother."

"You have a brother?"

"He's not as ugly as your grandma-ma, is he?" Richard Rotten joked.

"Or as dumb as that wart of a father you have." Granny Rotten fired back.

"No, no." Robbie shook his head. "He's… He's Sportac-c-c-c-… Sportac-c-c-…"

"His brother is Sportacus." Rottenella finished the sentence. "The town hero."

"That flipping blue guy in the tracksuit?" One of the young men queried. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. When his parents, er, _our_ parents… came to town last time, they did a DNA check on us. We matched."

"But how did they know you were their son?" Rachel asked. "What evidence did they have?"

"My lair. The one I've been living in all these years. It turns out that it was an airship I commandeered as a child and crash-landed here in LazyTown."

"Is that what they told you?"

"It makes sense, Ma. It explains all those weird dreams I used to have and why I was obsessed with inventing. All those weird gadgets and tools on the ship obviously had an impact on me."

"But how did you get from there to the orphanage?"

"Yeah." Richard nodded. "And how did the airship get underground while you forgot about it, only to find it once again later in your life?"

"I don't know. But I intend to find out."

Granny Esther shook her head. "I don't like this. Something's fishy."

"That's just your upper lip you're smelling." Richard retorted.

"How'd you get to live past 30, you uncouth, skunk-headed demon!?"

"I don't know. How'd you get to be so ugly? Your mom got friendly with a pit-bull or something?"

"You really make my blood boil, you know that!?"

"That's just the gas from all those burritos you've been eating, you smelly heifer!"

"Mom! Richard!" Rachel intervened. "Robbie, dear… What are you going to do?"

"Rottenella and I are heading out tomorrow. I've got something big coming up. Hopefully I can get some answers."

"There's trouble brewing, isn't there?"

"I've been the bad guy long enough, Ma. If Sportakook really is my brother, then I'll do what I must to make things right. I'll have to help him save my home. Both of them. I just hope in the end… somehow, someway… you'll be proud of me."

"Oh, Robbie." She hugged him. "No matter what, whoever your real parents are… you'll always be my son. And I'll _always_ be proud of you."

"Thanks, Ma."

"I CAN MAKE A BOOGER TALK!"

_She left in the fall, that's her picture on the wall.  
She always had that little drop of poison.  
She left in the fall, that's her picture on the wall.  
She always had that little drop of poison._

_A rat always knows when he's in with weasels.  
Here you lose a little every day.  
I remember when a million was a million.  
They all have ways to make you pay.  
They all have ways to make you pay._

* * *

**Song: **

**Little Drop Of Poison by Tom Waits**


	10. The Dinner Scene

_**A/N: Actually, there is another reason why Sporty won't talk to Robbie. Oops. Silly me. But more on that later…**_

**IX**

Bessie and Milford entered the butcher shop, where Sam the Butcher was in the back working on the frozen dead animals that were calling his name. The blue-haired woman leaned over the glass display and took a look at what was in stock while Milford gulped and nervously played with his fingers as he heard the snapping and cracking of whatever animal Sam was currently working on.

"What do you think, Milford? Steak? Or perhaps maybe a nice beef stew? Ooh! Tilapia sounds nice! Or how about some grilled salmon? That rump roast looks tasty! Oh, I just can't decide! What do you think, Milford?"

"I… I… well, I… seriously? I just… Umm…"

Just then, Sam the Butcher returned from the freezer and wiped his hands on the bloody apron he wore before shaking hands with Bessie and the mayor.

"Ah, Ms. Busybody! Mayor Meanswell! What can I do for you?" He asked cheerfully before hacking up some phlegm.

"Oh my…" Milford almost gagged.

"Hello, Sam. I'm cooking a big going-away dinner for my friends tonight and I want this moment to be very memorable for them! The only problem is, I can't decide on what I should cook!"

"Hmm…" He thought for a moment before throwing on a slab of raw meat on the cutting board, splattering the mayor with blood. "Shoulder steak's always good if you want to add a salad to your meal! You mind if I, uhh…"

"No, not at all."

"Thanks, doll." He began to cut the meat into pieces rapidly and accurately with his cleaver, tossing some fatty substance onto the mayor this time. "See that? Well shaped and ready to cook!"

"That _does_ look nice… Would you happen to have any lamb?"

"Sure thing, Ms. B!" He bent over to toss an entire skinned lamb on the board and cut its head clean off much to Milford's disgust. "How were you thinking of serving it? Rack of lamb? Lamb chops?"

"I'm not sure exactly…"

"Oh, I know!" He took out a knife and ran a line down the animal's chest, digging into the incision and quickly pulling out the lungs, intestines and other internal organs.

"Oh dear…" Milford gagged some more.

Biting his tongue, the butcher ripped out the stomach and bladder and showed them to Ms. Busybody. "How 'bout some haggis? Garnish it up real nice and serve it with cabbage!"

"Well…" She thought for a moment.

"Okay, I got it!" He pulled out a cow's head and split it in half with his cleaver.

The impact caused more blood and some brain tissue to land on the mayor's jacket as he tried desperately not to puke. "Ms. Busybody…"

"All right, what we do is… Oh, hey, sorry about that mayor! I'll get that cleaned up for you as soon as I'm done here! Now have you ever had cow head? Good stuff, ma'am! How 'bout tongue? No? Great for sandwiches! Ooh! Ooh!"

He rushed over to the freezer and grabbed an entire frozen pig, bringing it back to the sausage machine and forcing it down the bowl headfirst. Milford could feel his stomach rising once he saw the links form through the tube and spread across the wooden table.

"Now how does some sausage sound? Kids love sausage!"

"Well they're not kids anymore, Sam…"

"I guess not, huh? Boy, they sure grew up fast!"

The machine rattled and stopped the sausage production, causing Sam to examine the problem up close. "Aw, this always happens! Excuse me, Ms. B!"

"Of course."

He reached into the bowl and pulled out the pig's leg. "I hate it when the hooves get stuck in the grinders!"

"Ms. Busybody, perhaps we should--Oh no…"

Sam casually and nonchalantly broke the limb in half, cracking the bones out of place and snapping through the cartilage in order for it to pass through the tube easily. This of course only led to more blood splattering all over the poor man in front of him.

"This all looks so good!" Bessie exclaimed. "I have a great idea! I'll set up a pot luck and everyone can have what they want!"

"Great idea, Ms. B! I'll wrap this all up for you and you can pick it up in an hour!"

"Thanks, Sam! You're the best!"

"I do what I can!"

"Come, Milford! Oh, Milford! You don't look so well!"

"…Home… take me home…"

* * *

"…And here's Robbie at age eleven, dressed up like Michael Jackson for Halloween! Isn't he adorable?" Rachel passed the photo over to Rottenella, who immediately burst out laughing.

"Aw, you're so cute!"

They were torturing him. Sitting between his beautiful fiancée and the woman he called mother all his life in a room full of the Rotten women, Robbie could feel his insides beginning to churn and his brain turning into mush. He groaned with total annoyance but it was obvious they couldn't hear him. Richard Rotten sat in the living room with the rest of the male Rotten clan, watching the football game while Uncle Randy remained in his corner beside the front door, sitting and twitching at his table, shouting random obscenities and phrases.

"And here he is the following year dressed up as Prince!" She passed the photo down. "I remember he spent weeks on that jacket!"

"That would probably explain why purple is his favorite color." She could see the look on his face and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Don't worry. You pull it off better than he ever could."

"Yeah, right…" He rolled his eyes.

"MY NOODLE ITCHES!" Uncle Randy shouted as he twitched and swatted something that obviously wasn't there.

Inside the living room, Richard sat in his chair and noticed Grandma Esther walking towards the kitchen. "Hey, Godzilla! How 'bout fetching me a cold one?"

"How 'bout jumping in front of traffic, you overgrown tumor?"

"Woman! Don't you make me get up!"

"Oh, Lord forbid my dear son-in-law should get off his lazy ass for something…" She sarcastically quipped as she continued her slow trek into the other room.

"Look at you!" He shook his head. "If your breasts were sagging any lower, they'd be knees!"

"You _wish_ you'd found yourself a woman like me!"

"Yeah, then I'd have opened up my own freak show!"

"I SHOT J.R.!"

"Uncle Randy, pipe down!"

After a while, Robbie looked at his watch and realized he and his bride-to-be needed to head back home for Bessie's dinner. After saying their good-byes, they were already at the door when Robbie faced his foster parents one last time.

"You know…" He gulped. "…There's a chance I might not come back."

"Robbie?" Rachel placed a hand on his. "What are you saying?"

"This thing I'm doing… it's kind of dangerous. I don't know what I'm getting myself into exactly but… I know if I do something good, I can convince that stubborn blue elf that I really _am _his brother."

"He's important to you, isn't he?"

"What? No! I mean, he's…"

"I WET 'EM!"

"…He's… he's a flippy-floppy do-gooder that everyone respects and listens to because he wears a blue suit and has a mustache! That's all he is! Well I'm gonna prove to him that he's not the only good guy on the block! We may be related now but that doesn't change a thing! Good or bad, I can learn to be better than him!"

"Oh, Robbie…" Rottenella shook her head.

"Mom? Pops? It was nice seeing you again! If I don't come back, tell Granny Esther I died fighting for her social security rights!"

"I'm still alive, you spinach-chinned heathen!" The old woman shouted from afar.

"Zip your lip, Quasimodo!" Richard hollered back. "The boy's just being nice, now go back to your dungeon!"

"Well… see ya soon. Hopefully." Robbie opened the door and left, holding onto his beloved's hand.

"It was nice meeting you." She said before following him out.

The Rottens stood there, watching them leave into the sunset without knowing if they would ever come back for sure.

"MAMA SAID KNOCK YOU OUT!"

* * *

That night, everyone sat around the dinner table as Ms. Busybody, Ma and Alice brought out the entrees and side dishes. There were loads of steamed vegetables, various meat products Sam the Butcher had provided for them that were cooked to perfection, a large pot of Ma's now-famous Charred Chili Chutney Chicken, trays of cookies, rolls, pies and cakes and a large basket of assorted sports candy to finish it off. As everyone grabbed a plate and served themselves, Milford sat at the head of the dinner table wiping his forehead with a towel.

"Milford, do try to eat something." Ms. Busybody urged him as she served him a plate.

"Can't… eat…" He gulped. "…Meat… lots and lots of… meat…"

"Bessie, I can't thank ya enough for havin' us here this fine evening!" Ma said as she took a bite out of a pork roll.

"Yeah, thanks Ms. Busybody." Lou smiled at the woman.

"Oh, it was my pleasure! I want to make sure I send you all off on a full stomach!"

"Once again you've outdone yourself Ms. Busybody." Astral said when he suddenly noticed he was chewing on something soft and juicy. "Oh my… it seems Sam the Butcher forgot to remove the sheep's eye. Oh well…"

"Excuse me…" Milford ran out of the dining room.

"Man, this is some good eatin'!" Bob exclaimed as he greedily stuffed his face with a plate of steamed carrots. "How's that haggis, Dramatik?"

"Such fine cuisine deserves a sonnet in its honor! Ode to a midsummer night's--"

"Aw, shut up and eat! I'm sorry I asked!"

"Could thumbody pleath path the ketchup? My theep thauthach tatheth a bit dry!"

"That's not sausage." Demetrius said as he passed him the ketchup.

"…Uh-oh."

Ziggy piled on the desserts and stuffed his face with satisfaction, savoring every sugary morsel that danced with his taste buds while the others looked on almost sheepishly.

"I don't get it." Pixel shook his head, forking his pot roast. "How can you eat so much crap and not gain an ounce?"

"I don't know…" He smacked his lips. "…How can you sit in front of a computer all day and not go blind?"

"I don't know. Maybe I have superpowers."

"Hey, maybe I do too!"

He sat across from her, watching her enjoy her meal and talk to their mutual pink-haired friend. The lump in his throat and the butterflies in his stomach outweighed his appetite and left him playing with his steak and veggies, making a sort of canvas out of the dinner plate. Pixel noticed this and grinned, drowning his laughter with a mouthful of stew.

"What's so funny?" Ziggy asked.

"Oh, nothing…"

Rottenella sat in between Robbie and Sportacus and nervously fed herself, exchanging glances between the two to see who would speak first. They ate in silence, completely unaware of each other's presence.

"Oh, God…" She sighed and lifted the edge of the table cloth, looking downward. "Help me out here. Do something. Please?"

"_Arf!" _The anthropomorphic canine barked, begging for scraps.

"Oh, fine…" She tossed him a sirloin tip. "See if _I_ help you in the future… So… It was nice meeting your family, Robbie."

"Thanks." He said calmly.

"Have you met them, Sportacus? They're real nice. To _us_, anyways…"

"No, I haven't." He smiled at her, completely ignoring Robbie. "But maybe I will someday."

"Uhh… yeah. I mean they've offered to help us set up the wedding and everything and, uhh… oh boy…"

"Eat your dinner, dear."

"Okay, Robbie, just…"

The tension was gnawing at her and she couldn't stand it anymore. "Look! Can you two say something to each other? Please? Sportacus, you promised to talk to Robbie about this whole thing and you haven't done it yet! What's the holdup?"

"Now's not a good time, Rottenella."

"It's _never_ a good time for you, is it Sportakook?"

"Robbie, there's more to this than what you already know."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"I can't explain it here."

"Fine. Forget it. Let's just not talk to each other until we get there and you start shouting orders to me."

"Robbie, I really do want to talk to you but only when--"

"When you feel like it? I'm tired of playing by your rules! _I'm _the older brother here, not you! It's time we did things _my_ way!"

"Robbie, you just don't understand…"

"No, I'm sure I don't. And I don't think you'll enlighten me anytime soon."

"Look, we're going to cause a scene. Can we just drop it?"

"Consider it dropped."

"Oh, wait!" Bessie stood up. "I forgot to bring out my _pièce de résistance_!"

She rushed into the kitchen and returned moments later with a large plate of what appeared to be an authentic Cajun entrée. She set it in the middle of the table and began serving everyone a helping on a small plate with a great deal of pride and accomplishment in her eyes.

"I hope you all like it. Now be careful, it's a bit spicy. Oh, wait! I forgot the jambalaya!" She then returned to kitchen in a frenzy.

Everyone stared at their steaming hot dish of homemade Cajun cooking and exchanged awkward glances.

"Well it doesn't look bad…" Stephanie shrugged.

"And she _did _go through a lot of trouble…" Stingy nodded along.

"So I guess…" Trixie dug her fork in.

"…I guess we could give it a try." Clyde followed their example.

In one swift and even movement, everyone placed the food into their mouths and found their tongues wrestling around with the thick, spicy and unforgivable flavor that immediately kicked in. Their eyes bulged and their throats itched while their taste buds felt like they were being scraped off their tongues with a burning hot shard of glass.

**"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" **They all screamed in unison.

They soon responded to the intensity of the flavor in their own way:

Ziggy panted like a dog as he reached into his pockets and stuffed his mouth full of chewing gum to drown out the heat. Soon his mouth became too full and puffed to chew any more so he sat there in tears, sucking on all the sugar he could manage.

Stingy and Trixie gasped for air as they downed their glasses of ice water, running it down their necks and onto their shirts. When the water was gone, they threw the ice cubes into their mouths and began chewing for dear life.

Pixel activated a cooling system from his wristband and used it like a fire extinguisher into his mouth, inhaling rapidly. He swished the cooling agent around in his mouth and gargled noisily before activating his wristband for seconds.

At first, Clyde ran around the dining room, shouting his lungs out like a madman then finally headed into the bathroom where he kicked Robo-Hound away from the toilet bowl and took his place, licking the water unabashedly.

Robbie followed soon after and leaned under the sink, opening the faucets and placing his mouth under the stream of water, lashing his tongue about for that merciful release of watery goodness.

Finally, after downing several glasses of water, the spicy food proved to be the only opponent Stephanie couldn't defeat. She then settled for the last resort as she crawled all over the table and reached for the ketchup and mustard bottles, squeezing the condiments down her throat, releasing a red and yellow geyser that gushed from the sides of her mouth.

As everyone else reacted disdainfully to Bessie's cooking, Sportacus and Rottenella watched on as the only two people who were unaffected by the intense flavor.

"What's _their_ problem?" She asked him.

"I don't know."

"Pass the taters, please."


	11. The Female Body

_**A/N: It's been a long tradition of mine that on my birthday, I feel the need to cause some heartache for the characters I write about. This year is no exception. Bring on the PAIN!!**_

**X**

Later that night, after the insanity subdued, Stingy said his goodbyes to everyone and made his way out the door of Ms. Busybody's home. As he stepped off the porch, he could see someone in the corner of his eye waiting for him. A certain someone he had been staring at all night long.

"Going home so soon?" She asked him.

"Yeah…" He turned to face her. "It's getting kind of late."

"It's only eight o'clock. Eight minutes till Sportacus comes running through here and back up into his airship."

The screen door opened and out came Sportacus, sprinting his way between the two and up into the ship in the sky, several minutes earlier than usual. They just stared up in disbelief.

"…Or maybe not." Trixie shrugged.

"We got a long day ahead of us."

"That's for sure. You ready for this?"

"Do you mean can I actually contemplate the idea of traveling to some strange new, foreign land that I've never been to before? Or that the odds of us actually coming back home alive and in one piece are slim? Or that if we _do_ come back by some miracle, we'll be regarded as heroes?"

"…Well since you put it _that_ way…"

"Relax. I'm just picking on you."

"You pick on _me_? Now _there's _something I never thought I'd see."

"Hey, you and the others were the ones who told me I had to toughen up."

"Oh yeah? Well come on, tough guy. Walk me home."

Stingy was surprised to find her arms suddenly wrapped around his and her head softly leaning against his shoulder. He couldn't help but smile as he led the way back to her place, maintaining his grip on her the entire time.

From a distance, Pixel and Ziggy could see what was going on. Pixel chuckled to himself some more, knowing that Stingy had it bad for the girl and that Trixie probably felt the same way too. Ziggy noticed his friend's chortling and eyeballed him, taking a piece of taffy from his pocket and inserting it into his mouth without ever looking away.

"What's, uhh… What's so funny?"

"Nothing."

"Uh-huh. Just like you were laughing at nothing at dinner a little while ago?"

"What? Oh, that…"

"What is it? C'mon, I won't tell!"

"It's not that, Ziggy. It's just--"

"You still think I'm an immature brat, don't you! Typical! Just--"

"Ziggy, hush!" He hit him on the head.

"Ow!"

"Sorry. It's just that… I've noticed Stingy has a problem."

"Problem? What sort of problem?"

"I think he's…"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I think he's… I think he's in love."

"In love? Really?" He paused for a moment, giving Pixel a strange look. "…With you?"

"NO!" He hit him again.

"Sorry! Sorry! Then with who?"

"With who? Uhh, hello? Look out the window, doofus!"

"Huh?" Ziggy placed his face against the glass and could see Stingy and Trixie walking arm in arm to her house. "Hey, that looks like Trixie. But I'm not sure 'cause Trixie usually grabs Stingy in a headlock instead of by the arm and she's always shouting and--"

"That _is_ Trixie!"

"…Oh, yeah! It is, isn't it!? Cool!"

Pixel rolled his eyes. "Oh for the love of…"

"So what are we gonna do?"

"Do? We're not gonna do anything. We're just gonna let nature take its course."

"Oh. Okay, sure. Yeah, I guess…" Another pause. "…Uhh, Pixel?"

"What?"

"How will going to the bathroom get them together?"

Pixel took a deep breath and stretched his arms out, curling his fingers, reaching for Ziggy's throat but cooled off when Robbie and Rottenella entered the living room.

"What's going on?" She asked them.

"Nothing! I wasn't going to kill Ziggy, I swear!"

"You kids get weirder every time I see you." Robbie shook his head in disgust.

"Hey! Drop the 'K' word, man!" Ziggy pointed his finger at him. "We're not little anymore! You can't push us around like you used to back in the day!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Maybe I should fetch my doggie on you and--"

"Robbie." Her voice tightened his leash.

"Y-yes, dear?" He grumbled under his breath.

"We can go home now." She took him by the hand and led him through the door.

Pixel watched them leave and laughed again. "I tell ya, Ziggy… I don't think I'll ever understand the female species."

"What do you mean?"

"Well look at Trixie. She used to be bossy, loud, nitpicky and an all around smartass."

"Used to?"

"…Yeah, I guess you're right. But the only difference now is that she's got her eye on someone. Mark my words, Ziggy, if those two ever get together, there's going to be some big changes around here."

"Like what happened to Robbie?"

"Oh yeah."

"Why don't you build yourself a robot wife like Robbie did? I'm sure you can program her to do whatever you want."

"What? Rottenella isn't a robot!"

Ziggy gasped. "She's not!?"

"Oh, Ziggy…" He shook his head and sat down. "…Rottenella is flesh and blood like everyone else."

"But I thought Robbie said…"

"Robbie brought her to life using a machine that can animate lifeless objects. In Rottenella's case, she was a wind-up toy in an old jewelry box. At the time we first met her, she was just an overgrown version of herself."

"A big toy."

"Yes. Later, Robbie modified the machine to turn her completely human. Skin, blood, bones, organs, muscle tissue, stuff like that. You get it?"

"Kind of. So she _is_ human then?"

"As human as she can get."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well…" He sighed. "I helped Robbie with his modifications that year without Sportacus."

"Uh-huh."

"Although she's practically human on the outside… inside… that's a different story. I mean she's got a heart, nervous and circulatory systems and all that but…"

"But what?"

"Well I don't want to get too scientific about it with the risk of you falling asleep or frying your brain out but… in short, she can't have children."

"She can't?"

"Nope. Either something went wrong with the machine or maybe her body in particular is the problem itself. I don't know."

"And you know this for a fact?"

"Yeah. I do."

"Does she know?"

"No. Robbie and I agreed not to tell her."

"But why? She has a right to know!"

"I know she does. Robbie said he would tell her when the time came."

"And when will that be? I may not know much about women either, Pixel, but when you keep secrets from a woman, you're gonna pay! Oh dear God, you're gonna pay!"

"I know, I know. I just hope he tells her soon."

Out on the porch, Rottenella stood by the window with a surprised look on her face, tears evident in her eyes. Robbie stood by her side and held her hand, trying to comfort her but it was no use. She was in a world all her own, her thoughts in one place and her body in another. She just looked at the window quietly and placed her other hand on her stomach, feeling a void she had never felt there before. Robbie tried his best to snap her out of it and pulled her gently towards him.

"Sweetheart, I--"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"…I was going to. Honestly, I was."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Darling, you had your heart set on having children. I didn't want to--"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I… I don't know. I didn't want to break your heart. I needed some time. I wanted to keep working on the machine. Find a way to make it possible for you. Please, I can't--"

"Take me home now."

"…Yes, dear."

Before leaving the house, Robbie stepped back inside the living room and snapped at the two young men he and his fiancée had overheard.

"You two talk too much, you know that!? You just _had_ to open up your big fat mouths!" And with that, he stormed back out.

Ziggy looked over to Pixel. "What was _that_ about?"

"I don't know. Somebody must have said something and he's taking it out on us."

* * *

After a detour around the park and past the old clubhouse, Stingy finally made it to Trixie's house where they let go of each other and stood before the front door. He put his hands over hers and caressed them gently with his thumbs, staring deep into those hypnotic hazel eyes he enjoyed getting lost in so much.

"Trixie…" He started, his heart racing like a horse. "I don't know what will happen over there but… I just want you to know… No matter what I say, what I do or what I think at times… I just… what I'm trying to say is… What I mean is--"

"Stingy."

"What?"

"Shut up."

And with that, she placed her lips over his and closed her eyes, running her hands through his thick brown hair. He held her close and savored her sweet taste, being as gentle as he could be without getting carried away. When they finally parted, they were flushed and light-headed, laughing softly to themselves over what had just happened.

"Wow…" He finally said.

"Yeah…"

"I don't know where that came from."

"Me neither."

"But…"

"But what?"

"It felt so right… didn't it?"

"I think so." She took his hand and smiled.

"We've got a lot to talk about."

"Yes, we do."

"I'll see you in the morning." He kissed her hand and let go. "Good night."

"Good night."

_**A/N: I… Oh, never mind. I'll wait.**_

Up in the airship, Sportacus sat at his computer and waited patiently for his message to arrive, keeping his eyes on the clock that was already a minute past 8:08.

"C'mon, Ma…" He said, fidgeting in his chair. "…Call me. You said you would…"

_8:09_

"C'mon…"

_8:09_

"Ma… hurry up…"

_8:09_

"Oh boy…"

_8:09_

"Getting a little anxious here…"

_8:10_

"No! Losing precious sleep time! Ma! Come on!" He put his hands over the monitor and started shaking it. "Seriously! Ma! Send me your message now! Before it's too late!"

"_Magnus?" _Her image suddenly appeared on the screen.

"Ma! Oh thank goodness!"

_"What's happening? What's wrong with you?"_"You could have called a bit sooner, you know!"

"_Well I am sorry, dear."  
_

"So what's the emergency?"

_"I must warn you about something."_

"About what?"

"_There have been reports of destruction and chaos outside the borders of our land."_

"What do you mean outside the borders?"

_"Beyond the gateway to Aðalsteinn. The cities have been under attack by strange forces unknown to man."_

"I'm willing to bet _we've_ dealt with them before."

"_We've already sent a team out to investigate. So far, we haven't received any word from them yet. It's already been three days."_

"We're heading out there tomorrow morning. We'll look into it on our way to Aðalsteinn."

_"There's more, Magnus."  
_

"What is it?"

_"We also sent a mage to assist them should the problem escalate." _

"We'll look for him too."

_"Magnus. It's Helmina." _

"Helmina?" He sat back on his chair, repeating the name in his head. "You sent her there?"

"_She insisted on going. We couldn't stop her."_

"Oh, God… Mother, what were you thinking?"

_"She's a grown woman now, Magnus. She's responsible for her own decisions. You're not children anymore."_

"No, we're not. We'll be careful. I promise you."

_"Good. I trust you've told Berto everything by now." _

"Uhh… no?"

_"What!?"_

"Well, you see… there was, uhh… circumstances that were out of our control and--"

_"Magnus! I told you to tell him about our--"_"Uhh, what's that Ma!?" He started playing with the controls of the monitor. "I can't hear you! I'm losing the signal! I can barely make you out! You're breaking up! There's so much static! Speak up, please! I can't--"

He finally switched the monitor off and sighed heavily, placing his head on the small desk with the name ringing in his head. He stood up and walked over to one of the wall panels, activating it and pulling out a small framed picture. He slowly walked over to his bed and sat down, staring at the young boy and little girl with blond locks holding hands in a meadow, smiling at the camera. He bowed his head and crawled into bed, keeping the picture in his hands, where he would sleep with it for the remainder of the night.

"_Good night, Sportacus…" _The computer said.

"Good night."

* * *

Elsewhere, in an old warehouse by the sea, a man in a brown suit and fedora with expensive Italian shoes met with a stranger in the dark. He grinned and realized there were in fact two strangers inside with him and backed away with his hands slightly up.

"Hey, now." He said. "There's no need to get all suspicious. After all, _you're_ the ones with all this magic hocus-pocus whosafudge. Not me."

"How right you are." Khan said as he revealed himself from the shadows, wearing a long red trench coat with oriental scribbling on the back. "Are your men in position?"

"You know they are. They're just waiting to get in on the action."

"And were you able to convince the Piranha brothers' men as well?"

"Sure. It took me a few grand each to get them on board but I figured you were going to reimburse me anyways, right?"

"Of course. I'll have your money wired to you in no time."

"Well in that case…" He shook Khan's hand eagerly. "…Pleasure doing business with you!"

"You as well, Mr. Vercotti. You as well."

Luigi Vercotti let go of the man's hand and started out the door, feeling an odd itch on his right hand. He scratched it casually and went on his way until he felt the itch again. He stood still, scratching away and looking back at Khan and his mysterious friend in the shadows, keeping a nervous smile on his face.

"Must be something in air or something, ha ha." He said as he continued scratching.

"Possibly…" Khan stepped forward. "Looks like a rash? Does it burn?"

"Well no but… actually, it does feel kind of hot…" He could see his hand was now turning red as he kept scratching.

Soon the constant friction between his fingers and his hand proved too much as his skin was now starting to peel off. "Wait a minute… Khan, what is this!?"

Vercotti could feel a burning sensation build up inside him as he continued to scratch his hand away into nothingness. Not only was the skin on his hand turning red now but his entire face and body as well. But not from just the blood that was starting to boil but from the intense heat he could feel raging around his collars. Vercotti gasped for air and helplessly watched his skin turn raw while the smoke began to rise from his back. Soon his entire face was wrinkled and dry, the sweat evaporated from his glands and the smoke pushing him down to the floor. In no time at all, he could feel his entire body shaking from the fire that was raging until he was quite literally set ablaze.

Khan stood there and grinned, watching the former mob boss burn to death inside the old warehouse. "That's one hell of a rash, don't you think?"

"Are we done here?" Remus asked as he revealed himself. "Or are you going to play with this _thing _some more?"

"No, no. We're can leave now."

The flames around the body eventually died out and left nothing but a charred black carcass whose face was frozen in its last moment of pain and terror. Khan snapped his fingers and caused the entire thing to break apart into ash, sending it out into the air for all to breathe in.

"Lighten up, Remus. You know he would have switched sides in no time. Not that it would have done much good, really. But still… I can't deny myself some fun every now and then…"

"Let's just go…"

And so they left the building, preparing for a deadly rendezvous that no one from LazyTown would ever expect.

_**A/N: …Hmm. I forgot what I was gonna say. Oh well. That's how it goes, I guess.**_


	12. Air Sickness

_**A/N: I'm gonna tease you guys just a little bit longer. I'm still walking on air after what happened to me on Saturday… ahh… but please, do read this next chapter for me? You might find it'll set the stage for later, more important chapters…**_

**XI**

The next morning found all the children lining up to say their goodbyes to Sportacus, Clyde and Stephanie after a rousing game of soccer. As the selected members of the Trinity Watch loaded up both airships, Milford stood behind the children, watching them admire his niece while Ms. Busybody kept a loving grip on his hand.

"Do you really have to go, Stephanie?" A girl no older than six asked, her eyes almost watery.

"Don't worry, sweetie, it won't be long." She said and gave her a hug. "We'll all be back in no time and we'll pick up where we left off."

"You promise?" Asked a small boy.

"I promise." She looked at all the children and opened her arms, letting them all in for a massive group hug. "Now you kids be good and try to stay out of trouble. After all, you're the future of LazyTown."

"The future?" Another kid looked up.

"Yeah. Bye kiddos."

Stephanie sent them on their way and came face to face with her uncle. Bessie let go of his hand and stepped back to give them some space while Sportacus and Clyde boarded their ships. It was just the two of them now. Staring and waiting for the right moment to speak. A brief silence and then he held out his hand, his words stuck at the tip of his tongue.

"Uncle…" She took his hand in hers. "I know you're not exactly keen on me going out there and… well, y'know."

"…_Bashing heads and kicking all sorts of butt_, as you so mildly put it." He chuckled, finally getting over his fear.

"Yeah." She laughed as well. "…I still can't believe I said that."

"I think Trixie's finally rubbed off on you."

"Maybe. Listen, you don't have to worry about me. Or any of us for that matter. We'll be fine. It's your turn to be the hero, Uncle. You just take care of LazyTown and I know we'll still have a home to come back to in the end."

"Thank you, my dear. I'll do my best."

"Bye."

"Goodbye. Be safe."

She nodded and started to walk away when a feeling in her gut told her to stop. She looked back at her uncle, who still had that warm smile across his face, and ran into his arms with a tight hug. He embraced her as well, trying to hide the tears in his eyes and patted her on the back.

"I love you, Uncle Milford."

"I love you too, Stephanie." He trembled. "My dear sweet Stephanie… Now go. Make your old uncle proud."

"I won't let you down."

Louie stood there, holding his wife's hand and kissed it gently before climbing up the ladder. He took one last look at her long golden mane and smiled.

"I'll be back before you know it, honey."

"I'm countin' on it, shug." She blew him a kiss.

"All right, fellas! Let's get on outta here!"

Cosgrove stood beneath the mammoth airships and watched the last few people climb up the ladders. Once the platforms closed, he took out a radio and signaled the pilots for one last roll call.

"Sportacus," He started. "Everyone accounted for?"

"Roger that, Lieutenant." He responded over the static. "Team One: Astral, Demetrius, Bob, Amelie, Robbie, the Professor and Louie."

"Good. Team Two, are you--"

"HOW DARE YOU!?" A familiar voice broke through. "What about me!? Am I not a member of this reputable team of Watchmen that is prepared for God and Country to die in a foreign land which none of us has ever--"

There was a break of static until, "Sportacus here. Roster: Astral, Demetrius, Bob, Amelie, Robbie, Professor, Louie and Dramatik. Counting myself, that's nine."

"Er, right. Of course. Thank you. Team Two?"

"Clyde here. We're all good to go. We--ZIGGY! Put that down! What? No, that's not licorice! Yes, I'm sure! No! Just put it down! Wait!"

There was a loud crash followed by more static. Seconds later, an out of breath Clyde returned to the radio. "Clyde here… me and my team of eight. Me, Stephanie, Ziggy, Pixel, Stingy, Trixie, Jasper & Rottenella."

"Are you sure everything's fine?"

"Yes, we--I SAID PUT THAT DOWN!"

Another crash followed by even more static. "Clyde, what's the problem?"

"Nothing!"

"Are you sure?"

"…GAH!"

"…Clyde?"

"That's not a toy! NO! Somebody get that dog under control!"

"Dog? I don't remember anything about a--"

"AAH! Not on the seat! Quick open the hatch!"

"Hatch? Clyde, what on earth is--" Cosgrove soon found himself being doused by a fountain of liquid that was coming down from the sky. "…What in the name of--!?"

"Aw crap. Let's move, move, move!"

And just like that, the two airships were off. They soared through the clouds side by side and left LazyTown and its people behind, beginning their journey into the unknown. Inside the Track One, Stephanie sat by Clyde and looked out to see her home vanish behind the clouds and the mountains.

She closed her eyes and clutched the three amulets that hung from the gold necklace secured around her neck and for a brief moment, could feel their power calling to her. She gasped at this odd sensation and let go of them, forgetting for a second where she was.

"You okay, Steph?" Clyde asked her, keeping one hand on the pilot controls and another on her shoulder.

"…Yeah." She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"I know what it's like to leave home for the first time."

"I've left LazyTown before."

"I'm not talking about CrazyTown or HazyTown. Or Coast City for that matter…"

"I didn't like Coast City. First time I went there, I felt a little… _strange_. Like something was gnawing away at my conscience."

"Must be the air. My point is, I know how you feel. When I left my home to come here and meet with my uncle, I was nervous. I was tense and I was harboring some old friends in my head. I think you met them before."

"I have, actually." She giggled, playing along with him. "Nice guys but they were a little too rowdy for my taste."

"Yeah." He smiled, holding her hand. "But it all worked out in the end, didn't it? That's when I met you. And when I did…"

"What were you thinking at the time?"

"I'm not sure exactly. But I think my heart skipped a beat."

"I literally fell for you, if I remember correctly."

"That you did!" He leaned forward and kissed her.

At that moment, Ziggy walked out of the bathroom with his hands on his stomach and a sick look on his face. "Oh, dear God… this always happens to me. Airsickness… ugh…"

He saw Stephanie and Clyde kissing at the controls and held in a burp, deciding to walk over to his seat. When he saw Trixie and Stingy holding hands and cuddling together, he gagged and rushed back over to the lavatory.

"He still gets airsick, huh?" Trixie asked Pixel, who sat casually in between her and a gloomy looking Rottenella.

"As far as I know." He grinned as he took out a small device from his pant pocket. "Or it could be the fact that I've been using this baby on him the whole time."

"What?"

"It's a sickness inducer. It triggers brainwaves to mess with your body and give you that uneasy feeling you get when your grandparents talk about their sex life."

"Gross, Pixel!"

"I'm just saying is all!"

"And what, may I ask, is the purpose of this contraption?" Stingy's eyes widened with curiosity. "Surely this wasn't one of those oh-so-important blueprints you needed to take with you on this mission?"

"Well not exactly but…" He put the device away when he saw Ziggy return. "…I can't mess with him a little?"

"I see your point."

"And I thought _I_ was the trickster in the group." She shrugged as she rested her head on Stingy's chest.

"Oh…" Pixel groaned. "…_This_ is gonna take some getting used to."

"What are you talking about?" She looked up at him.

"Do I have to say it? You know exactly what I'm talking about. You. Him. _Together. _Ugh." He shuddered.

"Aw, feeling left out? Don't worry, Pixel." She nudged him playfully. "You'll find someone."

"Yeah, whatever…" He rolled his eyes.

--

Inside the other airship, the passengers sat down in the newly furnished deck and admired all the changes Sportacus made to better suit their needs. The man in blue kept to his controls and sighed dreamily, thinking to himself whether or not redecorating his beloved airship was such a good idea. After contemplating the horrid thought of everyone wandering around like mindless zombies and drifting away like spare change across the deck should the ship encounter harsh weather, he shrugged contently and continued his way through the clouds.

He could see from the corner of his eye that a very anxious Robbie was fidgeting in his seat and looking at the Track One through the glass pane. The above average hero closed his eyes for a brief second and opened them, leaving his seat much to the crew's horror.

"Sportacus, what are you doing!?" Louie yelped. "You're gonna kill us!"

"AAH! I knew it! He hates us!" Bob screamed. "Lemme outta here! Lemme out!"

"My air! My precious air!" Dramatik pranced about in a circle, waving his hands forward. "Quit taking my air, you thieves! It's mine, I say! All mine!"

"Autopilot."

"_Autopilot engaged." _The computerized female voice said, calming everyone's nerves.

Sportacus walked over to Robbie and grabbed him by the collar, dragging him to the corner of the ship for a long delayed one-on-one conversation.

"So _now_ you decide to talk."

"Listen to me, Robbie…" He pressed a button on the panel that activated a glass wall to separate them and the rest of the crew. "Whatever you have to say to me, say it now."

"I don't know…" He looked away. "Why bother? I mean it's obvious that you're not comfortable with it."

"Robbie…"

"Then again, I _do_ enjoy putting you in those tight situations just to watch you squirm your way out of it like a greased piggy!"

"Well?"

He leaned against the glass. "Haven't you noticed by now?"

"Noticed what?"

"I'm trying my hardest out there to prove to you that I've finally turned over a new leaf!"

"Have you?"

"Yes!"

"No more sneaking around?"

"Well I've… cut back a bit."

"No more plans to ruin the children's playtime?"

"I… might have a few inventions that need some disassembling."

"And no more lying to everyone? Especially me and your fiancée?"

"Hey!"

"She's heartbroken, Robbie. You should have told her the truth right from the beginning."

"How did _you_ find out!?"

"Never mind that, Robbie. Just promise me you'll patch things up with her. I don't want you two to lose what you have."

"And why the concern, all of a sudden?"

"It's not all of a sudden. I've always looked out for the well-being of everyone."

"Ah, so you've finally come to terms with it, have you!? That you and I are in fact --"

"Don't say it."

"Good God and we're right back to square one! You still can't say it! Amazing! I've never seen such pigheadedness come from a towering example of human perfection!"

"I never said I was perfect."

"Well it's not like you have to!"

"Robbie, can we please…" He hesitated. "…Move on to another subject?"

"All right, fine. But we're going back to that one later!"

"Fine."

"Now what is it?"

"There's something else I haven't told you. I… well, I haven't told _anyone _really…"

"Oh, this just keeps getting better!" He clapped his hands and giggled. "You mean to tell me there's this huge secret you've been keeping from everybody and _I'm_ the first to know!?"

"Robbie, please…"

"What is it?"

"…I…"

"C'mon, I promise I won't tell! After all, how else am I gonna prove myself to you unless you spill the beans to me and pray to whatever deity it is you believe in that I won't do the same!"

"They'll find out eventually but…"

"Go on then! Spill it!"

Sportacus hesitated and took a deep breath. Despite there being a glass wall in front of them that could mute an explosion, Sportacus leaned in and whispered into Robbie's ear. The reformed villain backed away momentarily and gave him a funny look, shaking his head in disbelief. With a nod, Sportacus leaned in again and repeated to him what he had just said. Robbie shook his head again with that silly grin of his and studied the grim and serious look on Sportacus's face.

"You're joking…"

"No, I'm not."

He studied his face again and popped his eyes right open with a gasp. "Sweet Shasta McBuddha! You _are_ telling the truth!"

"Mm-hmm…" He nodded.

"So that means…" His face was now filled with mischievous glee. "Besides the fact that you and I share the same DNA, we're also…"

"Yes."

"And _Clyde_ is also…"

"Yes."

"And you never even told Pinky LePew!?"

"No. And neither has Clyde."

"Oh, this is _brilliant_!"

"Robbie, you have to promise me you won't say anything until we arrive."

"What's the big deal? I'm sure they won't mind! I mean you said it yourself, they were gonna find out anyway!"

"But I'd rather my parents handled the situation."

"_Our_ parents."

"Our… I promised them that they would handle all the arrangements. Including the initiation."

"Initiation?" He thought about it for a second and further expanded his grin. "You mean we have a--"

"Yes."

"YEEESSSSSSSS!"

"Oh, Robbie…" He shook his head.

Everyone sat in puzzlement, watching the two blurry figures stand behind the glass window. After a few seconds of Robbie shouting for glee, the Professor turned to his colleagues.

"Tho, uhh… what do you think ith going on?"

"I don't want to know…" Demetrius shook his head.

--

Rottenella looked at the young couple and smiled for a moment before she eventually stood up and wandered around the airship. She leaned against one of the wall panels and suppressed her tears when a friendly voice caught her off guard.

"Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, Pixel. Hi."

"You looked like you were about to…"

"Oh, no. I'm fine."

"Oh. Okay. So why isn't Robbie here with you?"

"We… we kind of got into an argument last night."

"Oh. Well I'm sorry."

"…So am I."

"If it's any consolation, I'm sure he's hurting right now too."

--

"I can't believe it!" Robbie danced a jig. "All this time and you never even told me!? HA HA HA!"

--

"Somehow, I think you're right."

"Yeah." He patted her on the back and headed back to his seat when,

"Pixel?"

"Yeah?"

"…Why didn't you want to tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

--

"Oh, man! Why didn't you tell me this sooner!?"

"Robbie, calm down…"

"Calm down!? This is so incredible! I can't wait till we get there! How much longer!?"

"We still have to make a little detour."

"Detour!?"

--

He studied her sad yet beautiful expression then suddenly realized what it was she was talking about. In a panic, he backed away from her and put his hands up, fearing physical retaliation from the woman.

"Oh my God, you found out somehow! Please don't kill me! Aah!"

"Pixel, relax…"

"Not the face! Not the face!"

"What's going on?" Clyde turned his attention to them.

"Pixel, I'm not going to hurt you!"

"…You're not?"

"No."

--

"What sort of detour!?"

"A little survey mission. That's all."

"Survey mission?"

"Mom and dad sent out a group of men and women towards Reykjavík. They've been having a little trouble there."

"What? Reykjavík? You mean… we're going to Iceland? Huh. That would explain the accent, I suppose… Though judging by that goofy mustache, I'd have thought you were from France."

--

"Listen, Rottenella, do you think this is something we should be talking about here?"

"…I suppose you're right."

"And I'm sure Robbie will explain everything to you when we get settled. And if you need me to help explain further, then I will. Okay?"

"Okay." She smiled and sat back down.

Pixel grinned and took a seat next to her, watching Ziggy toss and turn in total sickness. He took out his sickness inducer and offered it to Rottenella. "Here, play with this. It'll make you feel better."

"What?"

"Yeah, just point it at Ziggy and press the little button. Yeah, like that. Good job."

"Ohhhh maaaan…" Ziggy got up and hurried back into the bathroom.

At the controls, Clyde noticed something strange on the monitor and began punching up a few schematics on the ship. Stephanie leaned over his shoulder and watched with him.

"What are you looking at?"

"Something's not right. I don't remember the storage compartment being that full."

"Do you want me to check it out?"

"No, I got it."

Clyde set the controls on auto and walked over to the back of the ship, where he activated a wall panel. In a few seconds, a rack of luggage, jackets and sports equipment elevated from the floor. He looked at a suspicious looking green suitcase that was bulging from the middle and slowly unzipped it from the side. He dropped his head and chuckled softly to himself.

"Hey, Steph?"

"Yeah?"

"I think we have ourselves a couple of stowaways."

"What?"

Stephanie hurried over to the luggage and was surprised to see two familiar faces poking their heads out and smiling awkwardly at her. A ten year old boy with blond hair and a nine year old girl with dark hair, Stephanie knew since they were toddlers.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me…"

"Hi Stephanie!" Said the girl.

"Hey…" The boy cowered behind her.

The Pink One shook her head and chuckled. "Gloria. Ritchie. You're in _big_ trouble…"

_**A/N: Surely you remember them? Or do I have to go back and remind you? I'll do it, no problem! Just say the word… BTW, I'm gonna need your help for the next chapter. But more on that when it comes…**_


	13. Red Dawn

_**A/N: Just a word of caution before we begin: These next few chapters are gonna get REALLY messy. They'll be dark, graphic and extremely morbid. I hope I don't offend anyone. **_

**XII**

"Gloria. Ritchie." She looked at them, shaking her head. "What are you two doing here?"

"Well we wanted to go with you." The ten year old girl said casually, taking a seat next to Ziggy, who was still under the influence of Pixel's invention. "We thought about how to say goodbye to you in case you and the others got killed off but we decided to go with you instead."

"What!?" She did a double-take.

"Yeah." Ritchie nodded along. "We figured it would be emotionally distressing for us if we just said goodbye and not know what's gonna happen to you. So instead of just hanging around back home and taking guesses, we figured we'd go with you instead and _watch_ how you guys die!"

"Aren't we thoughtful, Stephanie?"

The two ten-year olds smiled innocently at their idol, who just shook her head and smothered her face with her hands. "…Oh God… We have to go back."

"What?" Clyde looked over to her as he sat back down. "Are you serious?"

"Clyde, we can't take a couple of ten-year olds over to Iceland, where there's bound to be trouble waiting for us."

"But we've already gone too far."

"How fast is this thing going, _anyway_?" Ziggy groaned, trying to hold back his chunks.

"Pretty fast, actually." Clyde responded, almost giggling at the sight of Ziggy trying not to hurl. "But the point is, we can't go back now."

Stephanie slowly put her arms around the two troublemakers and brought them close to her sides, almost squeezing them. "Okay… here's the deal… you two can tag along for the ride but I want you to stay out of trouble, got it?"

They looked at each other and nodded. "Got it."

"And if I, Sportacus or anyone else older than you tells you to do something, I want you to do it. For your own safety, _do_ it."

"Okay."

"Sure, no problem!"

Rottenella looked at the two children and smiled, thinking to herself about the one thing she knew she couldn't have. She then remembered the look on Robbie's face when the truth finally came out: Pained. Regretful. Ashamed. All this she knew but was too angry and overwhelmed at the time to notice. She also remembered who it was she fell in love with in the first place. He promised her to fix things or at least try. And that was worth everything to her.

"Thinkin' of having a litter yerself, huh?" Jasper asked, his eyes focused on the block of wood he was whittling. "Can't say I ain't surprised."

"I want to have children. But…"

"Yeah, I know. Ya can't do it till ya get hitched. I understand."

"Well it's not that. It's… complicated."

"Complicated?" He looked her over once then returned to his sculpture. "So ya can't have 'em, huh? Shoot, ain't no big deal…"

"How did--"

"I know things. I been _around_, y'know…"

"When you say it's no big deal…"

"Well fer a woman to be infertile, I suppose there's some sorta womanly pain involved or sumthin'. Heavy emotional kinda stuff. But when ya think about it, there's lotsa critters out there that need a good home to come to at the end of the day."

"You mean… adopting?"

"Sure, why not? Just cuz ya can't _give_ life doesn't mean ya can't _preserve _it."

"You know… for a bumpkin, you're actually quite intelligent."

"Why thank ya, lil' lady!" He spat into his hand and held it out to her. "Here, have a tooth!"

"N-no thanks…"

--

The streets were being evacuated as Iceland's small but effective military defense unit responded to the situation in Reykjavík. Reports of a middle-aged looking Asian man wearing a long red trench coat destroying parts of the city and killing dozens of innocents took them by surprise. When they had learned the majority of the city's police force had been wiped out, they responded hastily and sent out a team to handle the situation.

The twenty men in uniform slowly patrolled the damaged streets with the heavily armored truck cruising behind them. To the left, they saw office buildings and hotels crumbling under the fires that burned within and a slew of dead firemen unable to do their job. To the right, police cars stacked on top of one another like a deck of playing cards with mutilated policemen dangling lifelessly out of the windows and doors.

They heard a distant a cackling and readied their weapons. The laughter grew louder and traveled along the path of destruction, leaving the men confused and a bit on edge. Down the road ahead of them, a figure suddenly emerged from a thick cloud of smoke and he stared at them with a menacing grin on his face.

"Hi there…"

--

For the remainder of the night, the airships were switched to autopilot while everyone activated the foldout beds hidden beneath the floor. On Sportacus's airship, the hero in blue sat at his monitor while his team slept peacefully on the floor. He studied the picture of the two children playing he scanned on his computer and kept repeating that same name in his head.

"Helmina…" He whispered. "…Please be okay. If something happened to you, I'd--"

Sportacus suddenly tilted his head back with his eyes closed and fell into a deep sleep. The clock on the wall was now at 8:08. Robbie just looked up from under his covers and scoffed.

--

The rapid fire coming from the machine guns seemed to have no effect on the powerful warlock, who just stood there with his left hand out, deflecting every single bullet that came his way. When he closed his fists, the guns suddenly shattered into pieces, catching the men by surprise. They slowly backed away and watched what seemed like floating pieces of metal spread out across the air and reconfigure their shape, becoming sharper and more acute.

"My turn…"

--

Things on the Track One were a bit calmer as Stephanie slept on the floor like an angel on a cloud with Clyde's arms wrapped securely around her. Across from them, Trixie and Stingy slept on their sides, facing each other with their foreheads touching and hands interlocked. And right in between the two couples, sitting up and munching on a stick of raw cookie dough like a banana, was Ziggy with his eyes wide open and attention spanning across the deck of the ship.

Pixel, awakened by the noisy chewing coming from the far end, stuck his head up and looked at Ziggy chewing blissfully, rocking his head back and forth to a song that could only have been playing in his head.

"Ziggy, go to sleep!" He whispered as loudly as he could without waking anybody up.

Then, in what seemed to be like a scene taken directly from _The Exorcist_, Ziggy slowly turned his head towards Pixel with an eerie, wide-eyed grin on his face, creeping the hell out of Pixel in the process.

_"Helloooo, Pixel…" _His voice chimed as his mouth suddenly oozed with runny cookie dough.

--

Bloodshed soon followed as the elongated and prickly shards of metal suddenly flew towards the small band of soldiers, impaling the majority of them in several places. One found a spike run straight through his chest while another had three placed throughout his body, sticking to his back, piercing through his knee and cutting his right hand off. Five men were joined by a single shard and suddenly set ablaze like a human shish kebab while another six were split in half from the torso, a stream of blood running along the streets.

"Ooh…" He winced, giggling like a maniac. "That's gotta hurt…"

The sound of aircraft approaching suddenly got him excited as he looked up in anticipation, hoping they had finally arrived. No such luck, however, as a team of jet fighters zoomed through the skies, surveying the damage to the area.

"Now, that's not right…"

Annoyed, he closed his fist again and watched as the planes exploded in perfect harmony, creating a hailstorm of falling debris and fire.

--

They gathered around Sportacus, who was sitting at his monitor while his crystal went off, and listened in on the reports coming from a local radio station. When they heard about the failed evacuation attempt and the slaughtering of over a hundred people, Sportacus switched the radio off and returned to the controls of his ship.

"So it begins…" Astral ominously muttered in a low voice. "All the madness. All the bloodshed. Reiko won't take prisoners. It isn't in his nature. He'll simply kill them all until he gets our attention."

"He's got it." Sportacus replied as tightened his grip on the controls and kept his focus on the sky.

"We mustn't be too hasty." Demetrius warned. "If we go in unprepared, he'll rip us to shreds."

"Not necessarily." The old man shook his head. "We have one advantage."

"You mean Stephanie."

"She _does_ have the amulets…" Amelie nodded agreeingly. "They'll protect us from any of his tricks."

"But for how long?"

"Are we there yet!?" An uninformed Robbie stormed out of the bathroom. "I think I'm almost dead from all this nothing I've been doing!"

"Why, Robbie…" Sportacus looked back at him. "…I didn't think you'd be bothered by it."

"Well, I uhh… y'know… I just…"

"She's on the other ship if you want to talk to her." He held out a communicator and waited for him to pick it up.

Almost instantly, the former villain swiped the radio and spoke into it. "Rottenella? This is Robbie, over."

"…"

"Hello?"

"Hello?"

_"…Robbie?"_

"Hi, sweetie."

--

The streets were now being patrolled by a fleet of armored tanks to take down just one man. Reserve forces from all over the world confronted the madman, who just stood there unafraid and reveling in his own handiwork. When the cannons went off, he was surrounded by a ring of explosions consisting of rock, dirt, smoke and fire. When it all settled, however, he remained in the same place unharmed and still grinning that evil grin of his.

"Now, really…" he waved his hand across, flipping the machines over to their sides. "…Is it worth all this trouble just for little old me?"

The screams of stray evacuees running for their lives caught his attention and forced yet another dirty look on his face. Slowly he raised the massive battle tanks and levitated them across the air, placing them slightly above the fleeing civilians and giggled as he let them drop.

--

The sound was excruciatingly painful to their ears except Sportacus's, who had already become accustomed to his crystal making such an unbearable noise during intense and extremely dire situations. The man in blue reset the controls to autopilot and stepped over to the side, looking out through one of the windows.

"Sportacus!" Robbie yelled over the noise as he plugged his ears. "Doesn't that thing have an off button!?"

Sportacus ignored him as the clouds suddenly revealed what he had feared. Several streets of Reykjavík were destroyed beyond belief as a trail of smoke and fire pointed the way to their destination. Once the intense beeping stopped, everyone gathered around the above-average hero and gasped at the horror below them.

"Oh _mon dieu_…"

"Oh, the pain!"

"Whoa…" Robbie gulped. "Sportakook, I'm… uhh, I'm real… sorry."

Sportacus took the radio from Robbie and slowly raised it to his face, his eyes glued to the horrific view. "Clyde? Do you see this?"

_"Yeah…"_

"Prepare to land. Set up an away team and tell them to suit up."

_"Got it."_

"Sportacus." Astral put his hand on the man's shoulder. "Are you ready for this?"

"…No."

--

Stephanie and Clyde, wearing their tracksuits, turned to their away team, who in turn wore a stylish navy blue Kevlar jumpsuit with a badge pinned on their belt, and awaited further instructions from Sportacus. Gloria and Ritchie, meanwhile, roamed around the ship and noticed the fancy outfits they were all wearing.

"Whoa, cool…" The ten-year old boy awed. "Can I have one?"

"No." Stephanie shook her head. "You and Gloria stay here with Jasper and Rottenella."

"What!?"

"Why bring them in the first place if you're not gonna send them out?" Gloria asked.

"They're our lookout." Clyde explained. "No one here is without a purpose."

"Then what do me and Ritchie do?"

"Uhh…"

"Here." Pixel handed the two kids a harmless toy gun that looked real enough to fool them. "Guard the toilet."

"Wow! Really!?"

"Yeah! And whatever you do, don't let them take the two-ply!"

"We won't let you down, Pixel!"

"Great…"

--

The two airships descended their ladders with the away teams climbing down them slowly and carefully. Astral, Demetrius, Dramatik, Robbie and Amelie followed Sportacus down one end of the street while Trixie, Stingy, Pixel and Ziggy followed Clyde and Stephanie down another.

The smoke was thicker than the fog that crept along their feet and the small fires that remained soon died out. The two groups wandered around a tilted and heavily damaged tank and met in the middle only to discover the row of lifeless mangled bodies hanging from the broken streetlights above them.

"That's why the beeping stopped." Robbie came to a conclusion.

Sportacus nodded and looked around for any possible survivors. "Keep your eyes open, guys…"

Stephanie couldn't look away. She felt the amulets tugging at her again and placed a hand over her chest, trying to suppress the uneasy feeling building within her. Astral noticed this and quickly rushed to her side.

"Stephanie, what is it?"

"I…" She breathed heavily. "…I don't know… It's like they're trying to communicate with me or something…"

"Stephanie, you have to ignore it. Whatever you do, don't--"

"Well!" A familiar voice caught them by surprise. "…How nice of you to finally drop in!"

Stephanie cringed and suddenly felt the pain go away as she slowly turned around to find her archenemy standing on top of one of the tanks. "…Remus."

He hopped down on the floor, his long black, leather jacket flapping behind him like a cape, and smiled at the pink-haired girl with his arms wide open.

"My dear Stephanie! We meet again!"

She balled up a fist and started to walk towards him, keeping quiet and ignoring his every remark. Remus simply played this off as cute and charming, keeping his arms open still.

"Oh, what's the matter? Aren't you glad to see me? Come here and give me a kiss!"

"Kiss this."

Stephanie approached Remus and slammed her fist straight into his belly, causing the ex-hero to keel over and contemplate this cluster of strange new feelings running through him. For a moment, he felt time stop as a warm and burning sensation boiled within him and traveled down the lower half of his body like a swarm of snakes until he fell to the floor, speechless and breathless.

"That's… never happened before…" His voice was strained.

Clyde ran over to Stephanie and took a moment to look down on Remus, smelling something rancid in the air. "What the… do you smell that?"

"Hey, I smell it too…" Stingy nodded.

"What is that?" Sportacus asked.

"Oh my God…" Trixie leaned over Remus and grinned. "I think he crapped his pants, Stephanie! Way to go!"

She couldn't help but giggle as she looked down on her enemy, who pitifully laid there on his back with his eyes wandering. "Aw, what's the matter Remus? Does somebody need a new nappy?"

Just then, a massive wave of dirt and rubble followed by an intense whistling forced everyone back against the tanks. Remus took this opportunity to crawl away and use his powers to vanish from within the brief sandstorm. As he remained pinned to the assault vehicle, Astral held out his wand and unleashed a powerful shockwave that broke through the wall of dirt and brought the whole thing to a stop.

"What was that?" Ziggy asked, out of breath.

"I don't know." Trixie shrugged.

"Where did Remus go?" Sportacus looked around.

Stephanie looked up and saw something standing on top of one of the buildings across the street. She slowly walked towards it, her eyes fixed on the roof, and groaned when she realized who it was she was looking at.

"Oh great… it's _them_."

Pixel followed close behind. "Huh? Who? Wait a minute… oh no…"

Standing in a line by the edge of the rooftop of an old shop were Remus Tard's minions, Halla, Hodge, Goggi and Sweetchuck. It was evident that they had gone through some heavy changes in their appearance, which took their counterparts by surprise.

Halla, no longer sporting her braided pigtails, now had her red hair trimmed to the max with little horns running along the top of her scalp and took on a whole new gothic lifestyle. Her eyes were outlined in a fiery orange and her lips were as black as midnight and her entire black and red checkered wardrobe showed off an envious collection of skulls, chains and spikes.

Hodge abandoned his old wardrobe that normally rivaled Stingy's and took on a more militaristic look, wearing an outfit consisting of a black and grey stealth pattern with matching boots and gloves that would compliment Stingy's somewhat obsessively tidy behavior. His face was also notably more rugged, having done a lot of training these past few months, something Stingy was unable to do.

Goggi appeared to be the same, only wearing a more futuristic-looking getup than before and holding some type of firearm with a phonograph-shaped nozzle; the cause of the aforementioned sandstorm. His silver jumpsuit doubled as a carrying case for all his inventions, weapons and devices he would no doubt use against his enemies, particularly Pixel, who had beaten him to the floor those six months ago back in the Forbidden Zone inside the black tower His spiky green hair remained as bright and exuberant as before and his silver goggles were fitted with a new device: a targeting system to easily take out any one of his enemies with a deadly accuracy.

Sweetchuck, however, had changed for the worst. He was no longer a bumbling overweight buffoon but an extremely overweight buffoon. Tucked beneath the layers of skin around his planetary waistline and bullfrog inspired chins, Sweetchuck was unable to move around as much and breathing for him was harder than Chinese arithmetic. His fuzzy blond hair was messy and his barely visible face was littered with pimples, zits and bits and pieces of candy.

Remus appeared in between them, still out of breath from his recent encounter, and pointed down at Stephanie and her friends. "All I want is the Water amulet, Stephanie!"

"What for?"

"You know what for! Don't play games with me!"

"Sorry, Remus. But if you want to absorb its magic, you've got to get through me."

"Very well. Allow me to introduce some new members of the family! I think one of you will know them by now!"

The ground began to shake, cracking along the middle and forcing out three platforms to rise before the old shop. When the shaking stopped, three more figures appeared from beneath the ground and stepped on top of the platforms, greeting the Trinity Watch with a mischievous smile.

Two men and a young woman, wearing armored black uniforms, caught Dramatik by surprise as he stepped in front of the group and gasped. "Ye Gods! Do mine own eyes deceive me!?"

"What is it?" Demetrius looked at the man. "What's wrong?"

"Hi there…"

"Long time no see…"

"Did you miss us?"

A large well-built man wearing an odd chrome helmet, a petite young woman with long raven hair and a moderately sized man concealing his face in a mask almost similar to Chameleon's, said respectively. Dramatik was at a loss for words as he began opening and closing his mouth, remaining perfectly quiet from the shock.

Stephanie took the man aside and raised a wall of fire using her amulet, separating her group from Remus's. "Dramatik, who are they!?"

"They're… my siblings!"


	14. Tension Brewing

**XIII**

Stephanie just looked at Remus' new lackeys as they readied for battle then turned her attention back over to Dramatik, who cowered with fear.

"They're your what!?"

"My siblings. Havik…"

The tall one with the helmet charged his fists with a pulsating energy and blasted through the concrete, drowning out the fire with rubble and debris.

"Magik…"

The young woman gathered the rock fragments together and formed them into a walking statue and sent it towards Stephanie, who managed to shatter it with the Water amulet.

"…And Diabolik."

The smaller one in the mask front-flipped his way towards the group, sliding out a blade from his boot and found himself landing in front of a towering figure in blue. He swung his blade around, missing Sportacus in the process and was instantly backhanded in the face, losing his balance and feeling like he had just been hit by a train.

Magik joined in and animated several more creations made from damaged goods and unleashed them on the Watchmen while Havik continued to demolish the ground surrounding the team.

--

"Uh-oh…" Louie witnessed all the action from inside the ship. "Guys, we've got a problem here!"

"Let me see!" Bob hopped on the desk. "Sister Mary Francis! You're right!"

"Thith ith bad! Really bad! What do we do!?"

They paused for a moment then declared in unison, "HIDE!"

--

Demetrius and Astral disassembled Magik's creations with their wands while Amelie head-rolled across the floor and kicked her in the face. Havik noticed this and aimed his energy charged fists towards the group when he suddenly felt his leg getting drenched in something. He looked down in disgust to see Robo-Hound peeing away and snickering to himself with a raspy tone.

"Stupid dog, I ought to--"

"Hey!" Robbie appeared behind him. "That's _my _dog!"

"And it's about to get hurt…"

"I don't think so." He then whistled. "Sic him, boy! This one's asking for… _trouble_!"

The dog's eyes turned red and his razor sharp teeth expanded from his jaw. He turned his head around and leapt at the man's crotch, biting with a relentless fury.

"AAAHHH! NO! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!"

"Ha ha! Good boy!"

The doppelgangers met up with their counterparts and immediately began their long awaited rematch. Halla reached into her belt and unveiled a long chain with a razor sharp skull at the end, twirling it around threateningly to Trixie. The former trickster, however, was unafraid and casually laughed this off as she saw her opponent getting closer.

"I'm not the same girl you fought last time, kid." She warned. "So you might want to stop and think about this."

"I have orders."

"So do I. And I'm telling you, you don't want to do this."

"Yes, I do!"

She swung the chain to the left in an attempt to graze her face but Trixie proved to be a lot quicker. Halla continued the same motion, swinging and twirling her chain around but Trixie dodged the attacks every time, knowing exactly where to go. Finally, she saw her opening and grabbed a piece of the chain, wrapping it around her arm and bringing the redhead towards her. When they came face to face, Trixie knocked her out cold with a punch between the eyes and watched her drop to the floor like a tree.

"I told you so." She scoffed when she suddenly heard a familiar voice screech. "Oh no. Stingy!"

Hodge had his rival at his mercy as he twisted his arm back with one hand and held a knife in the other. Stingy winced in pain but he refused to stay down. He struggled back up and tried to break free but the pain in his arm was only worsened by Hodge's grip. A boot to the face later and Stingy was back on the floor, both arms completely free now.

"Get up, sissy boy."

"…I'm… gonna kick…" He slowly got on his feet. "…Your…"

He was silenced by a left hook. Then a right one. Until finally, Trixie came to his rescue and sucker-punched Hodge in his spine. It caused enough pain in his body to fall to the floor and remain temporarily paralyzed, giving Trixie enough time to get Stingy and head back to the airship.

"Trixie…" He said softly.

"It's okay. I'm here…"

"I almost… had him…"

"Yeah, I know. I saw."

There wasn't much Ziggy could do but wait as he saw Sweetchuck waddle down the stairs and stop every few seconds to take in a breath of air. The result of which sounded like someone snoring with a recorder and a squeak toy lodged in their throat. When the ridiculously overweight henchman finally made it to the floor where Ziggy was, he looked at the trail of broken rubble and gravel littered about then sighed with his head hung low.

"Umm…" Ziggy looked at him awkwardly. "Y'know, we really don't… uhh… we really don't have to do this."

"I…" He started to show difficulty breathing. "I… have to… fight… you…"

"No you don't."

"I… Oh…" Suddenly without warning, Sweetchuck clutched his heart and fell to his knees, gagging for air.

"Whoa, are you okay!?" Ziggy rushed to his side and turned him over on his back. "Dude, seriously! Are you… wait a minute. Uh-oh."

Ziggy slowly placed his ear over the fat one's chest and waited a few seconds. When he was unable to make out a heartbeat, he checked for a pulse then gulped when no such thing was available.

"Well…" He finally said, standing back up. "…At least I won."

Pixel and Goggi engaged in their rematch hastily and without caution from one another. Goggi activated his wristband and typed in a bunch of different keys that operated a hovering orb that emitted several painful bolts of electricity. Pixel defended himself from these electrical shocks easily by wielding a metallic handle that extracted a whip made entirely out of light that he so lovingly referred to as a "holowhip".

"You can't knock 'em all down, Pixel!"

"Don't be too sure about that!"

The gizmo guy took his chance and wrapped his weapon around his opponent's machine, hitting another switch on the handle. This caused the holowhip to intensify its energy level and burn the orb in place until it finally exploded in midair.

"No!" Furious, Goggi pulled an antenna from his sleeve and started wielding it like a sword.

Pixel placed his device back in his pocket and charged his opponent, holding him back with his arms. To their surprise, they were equally strong and in perfect shape despite the fact that they spent most of their time behind a computer.

"What's Remus doing with Reiko?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yes… I would!"

Gathering all his strength, Pixel pushed his arm forward and caused Goggi to run the antenna straight through his eye. This caused the green-haired techno-wiz to wander around screaming in pain, shouting obscenities in his own tongue. Pixel just stood there, freaking out at the sight before him without realizing he had the antenna in his hand with an extra feature stuck there on the tip.

"AAAH!" Goggi roared. "YOU BASTARD! YOU TOOK OUT MY EYE!"

"What? No I didn't! I didn't--oh, my GOD!" He finally noticed the large brown retina staring at him. "Oh, God! Oh God, Oh God, Oh God! Eww! Gross!

In a panic, Pixel rushed over to Goggi and slowly placed two of his fingers over the eyeball and gently plucked it from the metal wire. He than grabbed hold of Goggi's hand and dropped the flattened organ into his palm, running off afterwards.

"Sorry, dude! Got to go!"

"COME BACK HERE! ARRGH!" He growled, crushing the remainder of his eye with his fist.

Meanwhile, as the streets turned into a war zone, Stephanie and Dramatik snuck up on Remus and confronted him at the top of the building.

"Remus!"

"Stephanie…" He held his hand up, levitating a fireball. "Don't come any closer."

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't give you loss of bladder control next."

"All this fighting doesn't really put you in a good light, sweetheart."

"I'm not the same little girl you met all those years ago, Remus."

"I can see that. You're maturing into a very attractive young woman, Stephanie. Not to mention dangerous, deceptive and all around deadly."

"I'm not like you. Or Reiko."

"Ah, Reiko. You see this is all _his _mess. I simply came here when he was done to await your arrival."

"Where is he?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that. The hostages might not like it."

"Hostages?"

"Oh, yes. Reiko has taken hostages. But he's not hiding behind them, oh no. He's just having fun with them."

"You are a very sick man, Remus Tard!" Dramatik pointed at him. "What have you done to my brothers and my sister!?"

"Oh them? Nothing much, really. Reiko insisted on having them tag along."

"How can you get involved with someone like him?" Stephanie asked. "You were a superhero once, Remus! You can still make a--"

"I've tried making a difference before, young Stephanie but you didn't let me! So now I've been forced to work with someone who shares the same goal as I. Although we have different ways of getting the job done, we're still that much closer to total victory!"

"What are you talking about? All you wanted was to reclaim LazyTown."

"That was before. Honestly, Stephanie, weren't you paying attention to me? I said I was done with LazyTown. A greater kingdom awaits me and when I gain control of the army, they shall do my bidding!"

"And what about Reiko? Where does he fit? Or have you neglected to let him in on the plan?"

"Our intentions are the same. Only the prize differs. He gets the blood. I get the glory!"

Remus stuck his hand out and caught Stephanie by surprise, extracting a mystical blue beam from the amulet. She stood there defenseless and could only watch as Remus absorbed the magic powers of the Water amulet before he finally vanished in thin air.

"No… Remus!" Stephanie looked over the edge of the roof, where she could see all of the henchman had vanished.

"They're gone." Clyde looked up at her then radioed the Track One. "You guys see anything?"

_"No." _Rottenella's voice broke through. _"They just sort of vanished… in some kind of blue light."_"Blue light?" Astral looked up. "Stephanie, please tell me…"

"I'm sorry." She frowned. "I didn't know what to do. He caught me off guard and…"

Sportacus's crystal went off again, alarming the team it was time to move on. "Someone's in trouble…"

"Where?" Clyde looked at his uncle.

"Oh no…"

"What is it?"

"We have to go to the Hallgrímskirkja."

"You mean the church?"

"Yes."

--

He stood at the altar with his back turned against the row of people, who were kneeled on the floor with their hands tied behind them and a sack placed over their heads. They trembled and sobbed while he kept his eyes closed and listened to the sounds of the organ as it played harmoniously throughout the entire building.

--

Outside the church, a smaller team descended from the airships and walked past what seemed to be a beheaded statue of Leif Eriksson. Sportacus, Stephanie, Clyde, Pixel, Astral and Trixie slowly approached the entrance and could hear the organs piping away.

Once they entered, they could immediately see the figure standing at the altar and the ten people lined up behind him with the bags over their heads. Stephanie noticed the red trench coat the reports had described and immediately hurried down the aisle.

"Stephanie, wait!" Clyde called to her.

"Reiko!" She yelled. "Reiko Jynn-Khan!"

The man opened his eyes and turned around to face the pink-haired beauty staring angrily at him. "Oh, hello. Have we met?"

"Not yet but I'm going to make sure you won't ever forget me."

"I'm sure it would be hard to forget someone with such unusual yet beautiful looking hair. Ah, yes. Now I know who you are. Remus told me all about you. You must be Stephanie. Correct?"

She simply blinked and gave him a dirty look. Reiko chuckled and looked at the rest of her friends as they barely made it to the altar.

"And you must be Sportacus, jokingly referred to as the 'blue sports elf', yes? You must be his nephew Clyde. I must say when I heard about your unusual condition, I couldn't help but sympathize. You two I've never heard about much but Astral… it's been a while, wouldn't you say?"

"Let these people go, Reiko. Your fight is with us."

"Who said I wanted to fight? I'm just having fun."

"What is it that you're planning?"

"Oh nothing much. I'm just killing time until we're ready to wake up the big dogs."

"What are you talking about?"

"Sportacus knows."

The hero's eyes widened. "I… I do?"

Reiko snapped his fingers and levitated one of the hostages over to him. He removed the bag to reveal a scared-looking young woman with blue eyes and a long brown and tan mane. She made eye contact with Sportacus, which only made it tug at his heart and fill him with intense worry and regret.

"Helmina…"

"Ah, so you _do_ know this girl! Lovely, isn't she?"

"Let her go!"

"In a minute. But first, tell them what I'm looking for?"

"I don't know…"

"Sure you do! This lovely lady just told me all about your family secrets and what it is that makes your kingdom so special!"

"Kingdom?" Stephanie turned to him. "What kingdom?"

"Stephanie, I…"

"Clyde, what's he talking about?"

"Umm…" He gulped. "Well you see…"

"You mean you never told them!?" Reiko laughed out loud. "Sportacus, what's the matter with you!?"

Sportacus took a step forward. "Let her go, Reiko."

"Hold on, hold on! So you mean in all that time you and your nephew have been living in LazyTown, you never told your friends, your _closest_ friends… that you're royalty!?"

"Royalty?" Trixie scratched. "Listen, pal… I think you've got the wrong guys."

"Actually…" Clyde corrected her. "…He's telling the truth."

"Huh?"

"Indeed I am!" Reiko giggled some more. "Sportacus and Clyde are princes! And the rightful heirs to the throne of Aðalsteinn! Oh don't look so surprised, boys. I know _all_ about your precious little kingdom and the secret behind that whole aging thing!"

Sportacus was at a loss. "You do?"

"Sure! Your old man even helped Astral here put me away! But now I'm back! And I'm gonna make sure your kingdom suffers a horrible fate! But to do that, I'm gonna need some help."

"Help? What help?"

"You really _are_ ignorant to this whole thing, aren't you? Well next time you see your mommy or daddy, make sure you ask them about the Shadow Dragon."

"The Shadow Dragon?"

"Oh yeah. Real nice guys. Once I obtain the Blackheart, _then_ we'll be in business!"

"What's the Blackheart?" Stephanie asked.

"Just one of the many things that will help reawaken the Shadow Dragon. And do you want to know the really funny part? One of you will help bring it to me. It might be you, it might be you, and it might even be _you_, little missy!"

Trixie scoffed. "Don't hold your breath."

"Mark my words. Once I have them at my disposal, Aðalsteinn will be the next Pompeii!"

"No!" Sportacus started for him but Astral held the blue elf back.

"No, Sportacus!" He warned. "He's too dangerous…"

"Back off, hero…" Reiko glared at him. "You obviously don't know who you're messing with."

Reiko dropped Helmina to the floor, allowing Trixie and Clyde to pull her in with the group while he brought forth another hostage. He removed the sack and revealed the beaten face of the church's septuagenarian pastor and smiled.

"How's it going, padre?"

"R-release them…" He pleaded. "Do what you will to me but please don't--"

"Okay!" He patted him on the back. "Go on!"

"…What?"

"Go ahead. Go with them. They'll keep you safe."

The old man started towards Stephanie when he felt his chest suddenly cave in. He winced from the pain and started shaking as he could feel his heart pounding faster and harder than before then slowly turned around to face a laughing Reiko.

"Man, am I a liar or what!?"

"Y-y-you…" His mouth was now dripping with blood. "…You do not belong here!"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"THIS IS A HOUSE OF GOD! YOU ARE BUT A DEMON IN DISGUISE!"

"Oh, you say the kindest things!"

"YOU MAY BREAK MY BODY BUT YOU WILL NOT BREAK MY SPIRIT!"

"Okay, sure! Why not!?"

The old man suddenly found himself being controlled by Reiko's magic and was left screaming in agony some more as his left arm folded back and snapped out of place. He then felt his knees give out and his legs twist counterclockwise, forcing the bones to protrude through his skin. As he laid there on the floor, writhing in total agony, the Watchmen helplessly looked on unable to do anything while Reiko just stood there laughing maniacally at the old man's pain.

"Oh, wait! Wait!" He exclaimed. "It gets better! Watch!"

"Astral, we have to do something!" Stephanie pleaded.

"I've got an idea…" Pixel said as he reached into his pocket.

The pastor could now feel his neck starting to turn despite his best efforts to fight back while Reiko continued his incessant laughing. Suddenly, the madman paused and watched as everyone in the room before him started to move out of focus.

"Whoa…" He chuckled, feeling queasy in his stomach. "…Getting a little sick here, ha ha… ohh… too much… too much fun, I guess… I… ohh…"

Reiko stepped back to regain his balance only to knock into the communion table and fall over, bringing it down with him. Sportacus and his team took this opportunity to seize the hostages and flee into the airships, having no choice but to leave behind the already dead pastor. By the time he had finally regained his senses, Reiko stood up and laughed at himself for being so easily distracted by his own insanity.

"Oh well…" He shrugged. "I guess I just had too much fun. Isn't that right, padre?"

He saw the dead pastor's twisted body and nudged it with the tip of his shoe. Sighing with boredom, he walked down the aisle and headed for the door just as the old man's body began to smoke.

_**A/N: Now this is where your feedback will be greatly appreciated. So what do you think? Is it an M for sure or do you think I can get away with leaving it as a very strong T rating? I'm probably just making a big deal out of nothing like always but I'd rather be safe than sorry. Now then… if I haven't already disturbed you enough… I'll be back soon with some more light-hearted chapters to ease the tension.**_


	15. Back To The Skies

_**A/N: Why does fate mock me so? I see something so grand, so exquisite and so coveted that just when I think I have it in my reach, someone takes it from me and laughs in my face! And to think… it's all The Joker's fault. **_

**XIV**

They ran as fast as they could away from the burning church, hoping to avoid another confrontation with Khan. When they reached the shadow emanating from the airships hovering above them, a rain of gunfire took them by surprise and forced them to drop to the floor.

"Who's shooting at us!?" Pixel griped as the dirt and chunks of ground landed on him.

Just then, dozens of men in civilian attire armed with machine guns, Uzis, pistols and rifles spread out across the street and reloaded their weapons for another wave of attack. One man, dressed in a brown leather jacket and wearing sunglasses acknowledged the group and smiled.

"Good morning! Luigi Vercotti sends his regards!"

Another wave of gunfire and soon Sportacus's crystal went off, causing the hero in blue to jump up and call for his ladder.

"Sportacus, what are you doing!?" Trixie panicked. "You'll get shot!"

"We have to get out of here! I'll draw their fire and you take the hostages up into my airship!"

"Uncle Sporty!" Clyde dodged a bullet. "That's crazy! I like it! Ladder!"

The rope-ladder descended from the Track One and soon the team divided the hostages and took them to safety while Stephanie stayed behind to face the angry men with guns.

"Stephanie!" Clyde reached for her as he hung on to the rope. "Come on!"

"Keep going! I'll take care of these guys…" She said as she flicked her wrist, raising a wall of rock to protect her friends. "...There. That should give you guys some cover."

"Hey, take a look at this…" One of the mobsters pointed at the girl in the pink tracksuit. "I think the cutie in the pink likes you."

"Oh yeah?" Another one smirked as he pointed his rifle at her. "I think I'm in love…"

"You know what the boss man said…"

"No prisoners…"

"Alive…"

"That's not what _our _bosses said!"

"What? Don't worry about it! You're not taking orders from _them _anymore! They're locked up in the joint!"

Stephanie kept moving forward, curiously listening in on their idle chitchat. The ringleader in sunglass noticed she was getting close to them and aimed straight for her chest.

"Sorry, baby face. Got no choice but to waste ya…"

Stephanie kept on walking and rolled along the floor as soon as the bullets went flying. She held up an amulet and watched as another wall of rock sprung up from the ground, taking the men by surprise and deflecting their every bullet.

"What the hell is this!?"

"Hey, Vercotti didn't mention nothing like this, man!"

"Where _is_ Vercotti anyway!?"

Moving quickly, Stephanie switched to the Fire amulet and surrounded the mobsters with a blazing ring of heat, causing the rock wall to melt and reduce to nothing more than magma. They backed away in fear then tossed their guns from the sudden heat they were emanating, dropping them into the pool of lava.

"We're gonna die, man!"

"No! This ain't happening! This ain't happening!"

"What do we do!? What do we do!?"

Using the Water amulet, Stephanie smothered the flames with a minor tidal wave that forced out a cloud of steam and smoke to blind her enemies. She then saw her opening and began her attack. She grabbed one by the arm and swung him to the side, knocking several others down like bowling pins then proceeded to take on a scruffier looking man who pulled out a knife. She scoffed and dodged his every swing, eventually placing her hands over his head and kneeing him in the face, knocking him out cold.

As she fought them off, Khan stood by the burning building and watched in amazement. "Hmm… that girl's got balls."

She saw the leader of the pack trying to flee from the blinding smoke but she caught him by surprise, meeting with him on the other side with a punch to the face. He took a few steps back, dazed and in pain but found another wave of punches landing across his body until he fell to the floor, piled on top of his cronies. Stephanie wiped the sweat from her brow and took Clyde's hand as he pulled her into the airship, flying away from the destroyed city of Reykjavík.

"Always the performer, I see…"

"Oh, don't be jealous…"

Khan looked up and saw the airships fly off into the distance, a brand new grin forming on his face. "Well I'll be…"

* * *

Goggi crawled his way along the broken street over to a damaged car that was resting on the sidewalk. Weak and in a severe amount of pain, he forced himself against the hood and held his hand out to catch the blood that dripped from where his eye used to be. He slowly turned his head and gasped at his own reflection in the side-view mirror, shivering with fright.

"That bastard Pixel… he… oh God…"

Hodge met up with his companion, hunching over as he walked and keeping a firm hand over his back. Trixie's spinal tap from earlier left him in pain but as he soon saw the look on Goggi's face, he knew it was nothing compared to that.

"Goggi, man… what happened?"

"I'm… I'm going to kill him. I… am going… to _kill_… _him_!"

Halla woke up on the floor and noticed the bits and pieces of glass, rock and dirt surrounding her. She sat up and rubbed the bruise on her forehead, glancing from the side of her eye to see the bloated dead body just inches away from her. She stood up and hurried over to the corpse, gasping immediately when she recognized the body.

"Oh my God… Hodge! Goggi! Look!"

Hodge helped a disoriented Goggi over to Halla, where they looked down on their fallen comrade. "Oh great… Sweetchuck's dead."

"I bet that Ziggy person got the best of him and took him out when he had the chance." Halla growled.

"Do you think he'd mind if I took his eye?"

"Oh, Goggi…" Halla put her hands on his face. "What did he do to you?"

"I'd say they all got the best of you." Khan said as he materialized before them. "I hate to admit it but I think that Sportacus fellow was right in teaching those other kids the virtues of proper dieting and exercise. If only our Sweetchuck could have learned to help himself why…" He feigned a sob then turned it into a maniacal giggle. "…Oh that fat bastard didn't know what he was getting himself into, did he!?"

"Don't you talk that way about him!" Halla raised her voice.

"Easy, girl. Our forces are limited now thanks to a certain pink-haired femme-fatale. We need all the hands we can get… or in this case, _eyes_." He chuckled. "Oops! Sorry, Goggi! Ha ha ha!"

"You're sick…"

"Nonsense! I'm in my prime! Now where's that loveable partner in crime of mine!?" He pranced around, yodeling for his companion. "Oh Remus! Ohhhhhh Reeeeeeemuuuuuus!"

Remus kicked open the door of a nearby porta-potty, wiping his pants clean and hurried over to Khan, completely unaware of the small trail of toilet paper stuck to his rear.

"What is it, Khan? I'm, uhh… I'm kind of in the middle of something."

He sniffed and gave him a funny look. "Oh Tardy-wardy. What happened? Did somebody not make it to the little boy's room on time?"

"Not exactly…"

"Then?"

"Look, what is it?"

"No, go on! Tell me!"

"It was…"

"Yes?"

"It was… Stephanie?"

"What? You mean she did this to you? Ha ha! How?"

"Well she… she sort of… punched me in the stomach and then it all sort of… _came out_."

"Amazing!" He clapped his hands. "I knew it! I knew there was something special about that girl!"

"If you're planning on recruiting her then you can forget it. I've already tried that."

"Well maybe she needs some convincing!"

"Listen to me, you fool! She won't budge! She's as stubborn as a mule and braver than Sportacus and his nephew combined."

"_Really_?"

"And what's more, she'll never cave in to you. _Especially_ you."

"Now my feelings are hurt." He turned his back playfully. "But you know what? You're making a lot of sense! But just imagine, Remus old boy… the things we could do… the power we would have on our side if only _she_ was with us…"

"I _have _imagined all those things, Khan. But it won't happen."

"Aww, you're just a spoilsport! Cheer up, bucko! We'll get her yet! In the meantime we head back and gather more troops. The pieces are now in place and I've made the first move. The rest is up to them."

"And what of Vercotti's men as well as the Piranha brothers'?"

"Ooh, I only hope they work well under pressure! Because if they screw up like that again, their heads are mine!" He then looked at the doppelgangers. "That goes for you three as well. We've already lost Chucky over there. We wouldn't want Remus to be without the rest of his posse, now would we?"

"And you're sure your plan will work?"

"Yes! For the love of death and chaos, _yes_! I swear to you that in no time, one of those snot-faced kids will hand over the Blackheart _willingly_!" He paused then turned his attention over to Goggi. "Now then, skippy! Let's see what we can do about getting you some balls… er, _eyeballs_ I mean! Ha ha! Whoops! Silly me…"

"Khan."

"Ah, Havik. Magik, how are you? Diabolik, good to see you're still in one piece. You'd like to remain that way, don't you? Yes? Well then… Just don't flamingo-up or you'll end up like that fat buffoon lying on the floor there. Understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"All except 'flamingo-up', sir." Magik tilted her head.

"Well it's like a cock-up only much bigger. The bigger your mess, the harder you'll fall. Now then! Shall we retire for the day? Yes? Good! I know this quaint little bar in the next town! We can go there! Er, except you Remus! I'd stop and pick up some Depends if I were you…"

* * *

Both parties were silent and horrified, still trying to overcome and contemplate what had just happened. On the Track One, Robbie had switched places with Jasper to be with his beloved and helped her attend to the five hostages on their side, trying to keep quiet about all they had witnessed. Things on the other airship were just the same with the Professor and Amelie attending to the remaining four hostages that were with them.

Sportacus noticed the violet-eyed woman staring at him and switched the controls over to autopilot. He took a seat next to her and placed his hand over hers, trying his best to comfort her.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

"I'm… I'm fine, thank you." She said with an accent similar to his. "I wasn't expecting to see you."

"Mother told me what had happened."

"It was horrible. First it started with gunfire. Mobsters. They came from out of nowhere and threatened everybody, demanding to speak with the council."

"Mobsters." He thought for a moment. "They must have been hired by Khan."

"Who is this Khan person I heard them speak of? Never before have I--"

"I understand, Helmina. I never met him until just recently when I came to save you."

"All those people…" She yawned and tilted her head back against the seat. "…Dead… dying…"

"Shh." He placed a sheet over her. "Get some rest now. We'll be home in a minute."

"The hostages are fine now, Sportacus." Astral said as he and Demetrius approached him. "A few cuts and bruises but nothing serious."

"And these people are from your homeland?"

Sportacus nodded. "Yes. Members of the Royal army, I'm sure."

"And this lovely young lady you have at your side?"

"She…" He watched her sleep and couldn't help but smile. "…She's an old friend."

"I see." Astral grinned.

"Astral…" He stood up. "What kind of monster are we dealing with here?"

"Surely you know the answer by now. An unspeakable evil capable of doing whatever his sick twisted mind can come up with. What we saw was _nothing_ compared to the full extent of his power."

"But what of my siblings!?" Dramatik burst onto the scene. "My big brother! Dear sister! And my youngest brother! Wherefore art thou the logic in all this!? Must my life be a curse all its own!? Will the pain never end!? Oh, the pain! The pain! The pain!"

"Dramatik, please!" Demetrius slapped the man. "Get a hold of yourself! Honestly… out of all the members of your family, how is it that _you_ were the pansy!?"

* * *

"Well they're doing fine." Louie spoke to Clyde and Stephanie as they piloted the Track One. "Nothing to serious. I just think they're a little shaken up."

"So are we…" Clyde's gaze remained fixed on the sky.

"Seriously, what happened? Inside the church, I mean…"

"We're in way over our heads." Stephanie sighed. "Clyde?"

"Yeah?"

"Why didn't you or Sportacus ever tell me you were…"

"Royalty?"

"Whoa, you're royalty!?" Louie's voice caught everyone's attention. "…Oops. I'm, uhh… I'm just gonna go over there… yeah… that's, uhh… that's probably a good idea, yeah…"

"I'm sorry, Steph." Clyde took her hand. "We just didn't think it was important for you guys to know. But after all that's happened, we're going to need all the help we can get. And us going to Aðalsteinn to find the last amulet probably would have blown our cover anyway, so… I guess we would have told you sooner or later."

"But why hide it?"

"Angel, you know I'd never keep secrets from you. It's just… it's a family thing."

"I guess I can understand that. I mean it's not like I'm mad or anything. I'm just… really surprised." She then smiled. "…And kind of turned on. My boyfriend's a prince!"

"Hee hee…" He giggled like a fool.

"But this Khan guy." She frowned. "He needs to be stopped. By any means necessary."

"I'm sure we'll be able to work out something."

On the other side of the ship, Rottenella and Robbie stood watch over the sleeping Icelanders and held hands. After everything that had happened, they knew how lucky they were just to have each other.

"Again, I'm really sorry." He whispered in her ear.

"Don't worry about it." She tightened her grip. "I know we'll find a way."

Trixie added the finishing touches on the bandage that covered one of the men's wounds. "Okay, there you go. That should do the trick until we get there."

He looked at his wrist and nodded approvingly. "Thank you, miss."

"No problem. And call me Trixie."

"Thank you, Trixie. My name is Leon." He held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you." She shook it kindly. "You're pretty young-looking for a soldier."

"Oh, I'm not a soldier exactly. I'm more of an assistant to the higher ranks. I just go where they need me and do what they ask of me."

"But… isn't that what a soldier does?"

"I suppose so. But I'm not much for fighting as you can tell." He held up his wrist laughing. "But I do what I can."

"Well that's all they can ask of you."

Stingy took a seat next to his girlfriend and moved his arm about, twitching from the pain Hodge had laid on him earlier. "Christ, that hurts… I think that Hodge guy was hopped up on steroids…"

"Are you still hurting?" She put her hands on his shoulder and massaged it. "Does that help?"

"A little, yeah. Thanks, Trix. But really, you don't have to…" He gently pulled away. "I'm sure it'll heal soon enough."

"Are you sure? I could…"

"No, no. I'm good." He leaned in and kissed her lips as Leon turned away in embarrassment. "I think I'll go and get some ice for it."

As he walked off, Leon chuckled and noticed the red coloring spreading all over Trixie's face. "So am I to assume you two are… _dating_?"

"Yeah." She smiled coyly. "Yeah, we are."

"You've known him long?"

"All my life."

"Well if you don't mind me saying, he's a very lucky man." He winked at her then headed off to check on his comrades.

"…Thanks." Trixie paused, unsure of what to think or say.

Just then, the ship began to rattle slightly and caught everyone by surprise. Clyde could see the clouds growing darker and the lightning flashing before them then switched on the communicator.

"Uncle Sporty? You seeing this?"

_"I am. Looks like we're almost there."_"What!?" Robbie shrieked. "You mean this is normal for you!?"

"Uh-huh…" Clyde nodded. "In order to get to Aðalsteinn, we need to go through the eye of the storm!"

"But isn't there another way!? A _less painful _way!?"

"Nope! Not a chance! Ha ha!"

"Clyde?" Stephanie's eyes widened. "Baby, you're scaring me again…"

"Sorry, angel. But we've got no choice but to buckle up and tough it out!"

"Oh dear God…" Stephanie strapped herself in and flipped a few switches on the control panel. "I'm switching to impulse."

"Good idea, we don't want to risk getting hit by lightning!"

* * *

Sportacus tightened his grip on the wheel and turned to face his team, all of them cowering in their seats. "It's okay, guys. I know what I'm doing!"

"Do you?" Bob gulped. "_Do you_!?"

He simply nodded. "Relax. We'll be fine."

"How do you know!?" The Professor began to hyperventilate. "Thereth potential danger out here in thith thtorm!"

"You don't hear my crystal going off, do you?"

Silence. Then in a twist of cruel irony, the sharp ringing from his crystal caused Sportacus to gulp and wince at his own words being spoken too soon. With a shrug, he took to the controls and led the way into the swirling black clouds that awaited them.

"All right, Clyde… remember… eye of the storm. Eye of the storm…"

Silence.

"Clyde?"

More silence.

"Clyde, are you there? Speak to me."

_"Man, this is gonna be CUH-RAY-ZEEEEEEEEEEE!! HA HA HA HA HAAAA!" _

Sportacus simply rolled his eyes with a grin. "My nephew, ladies and gentlemen…"


	16. Technical Difficulties

**_A/N: A husband and wife dying, a lover's betrayal and fingers being broken!? Looks like it's up to me to brighten things up around here. I'm on it! _**

**XV**

The lightning flashed before their very eyes as the thunder roared, causing both ships to rattle gently. Sportacus and Clyde both knew the worst was yet to come but they decided to keep quiet about it and keep their crew's spirits high.

"_Warning. Severe thunder and lightning ahead."_

"As if I didn't know that already…" Sportacus sighed, keeping his hands tight on the controls and looking back to his crew. "You guys might want to buckle up!"

"I knew it!" Bob shrieked. "We're gonna die!"

"Sportacus," Astral began as he calmly tucked the panicky pink bunny in his hood. "Is this natural?"

"More or less."

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Let's just say the odds are against us this one time."

"Well you certainly know how to make an old man feel secure."

Sportacus grinned as he maneuvered the ship away from a stray blast of lightning. "Whoa, that was close…"

"What about the Track One?" Demetrius asked. "Will they be alright?"

"As long as Clyde's in control, I know they'll be safe!"

--

"CLYDE, YOU'RE GONNA KILL US ALL!" Trixie screamed as she held on to her seat.

"Nonsense! I have everything under control!" He declared loudly as he searched the panel. "…Now where are the shield activators?"

"Right here!" Stephanie flipped a few switches. "Clyde, I seriously hope you know what you're doing!"

"What, don't you trust me?"

"You know I do! It's just…"

"I know, I know! It's a little bumpy out there! Well you know what?" His grin became larger and his eyebrows arched over his face like a young Jack Nicholson. "That's all part of the fun!"

Slowly, the Track One tilted at an angle as it went through the massive black clouds, leaving the passengers helpless from the pilot's unique handling of the ship. They could feel the thunder rattling through the walls, electrifying their bodies and their stomachs bouncing back and forth like a game of Pong while a fearless Clyde ran his beloved airship through the eye of the storm.

"Easy now…" He said softly, noticing the lights on the ship beginning to flicker. "…Oh, what is this?"

"It's all the lightning." Stephanie surveyed the monitor. "It's interfering with the ship's generator."

"Right…" He clicked his tongue. "The backup generator's on standby."

A sudden blackout followed by a handful of screams and the ship was now flying blindly through the clouds. Clyde turned to Stephanie and shrugged.

"Guess this is as good a time as any, huh?"

He reached under the control desk and flipped a small metallic switch, turning a few secondary lights on the ship that allowed him to pilot some more.

"That should hold for now…"

Another blackout and everyone groaned. Clyde let out an exasperated sigh and used the tip of his shoe to pull out a drawer from base of the control desk. Stepping on a red button, more lights flickered on much to everyone's relief.

Stephanie just looked at him funny. "What was--"

"The _backup_ backup generator…" He then leaned in to hug his control panel, running his hand gently over the glass screen. "…Please, please, _please_ work for daddy!"

Another flash of lightning later and they soon felt it. The sharp buffeting and the sudden tilting to the right as opposed to the left made it obvious that the right fin of the ship was hit. Clyde and Stephanie worked the controls rapidly and furiously, trying to balance the ship out while Pixel and Robbie unbuckled themselves.

"Robbie, what are you doing!?" Rottenella grabbed hold of his arm. "Get back here!"

"I'm just going to, uhh, assess the situation!"

"Whatever, Robbie." Pixel walked by. "Just admit you're concerned for your neck and you want to do anything in your power to keep it in one place!"

"Damn straight! I always knew you were a genius!"

They rushed over to the pilot seats, only to be knocked forward by another sudden jolt from outside. Robbie and Pixel draped themselves over the edges of the control desk and hung on while they waited out the rumbling.

"What are you two doing here? I told you to stay in your seats!"

"Sorry, Clyde." Pixel said faintly. "We just want to see if there's anything we can do to help?"

"Actually, there is. You and Robbie see what you can do about the fin."

"What fin!?" Robbie looked around.

"The fin to the ship!"

"Don't you mean wing?"

"Look!" He grabbed Robbie by the shirt and pulled him in for a death stare. "Just go out there and do what I tell you because if anything happens to my baby, I swear I'll have your heart on a platter!"

"Yeah! Sure!" A nervous Robbie turned around and followed Pixel over to the wall.

Stephanie just laughed. "You didn't have to threaten your uncle over me. I'll be fine, don't worry."

"Huh? I was talking about the ship."

"What!?"

"Kidding! Ha ha…" He chuckled nervously, reaching under his desk to pet it. "Okay, boys! Have you activated the wall panel yet?"

"Yeah." Pixel nodded, stepping back to see a kiosk turn around from the open wall. "Now what?"

"On the touch screen, press the red button that says 'Manos'!"

"Done!"

This caused a small column to rise from the floor and reveal a joystick with two gloves attached with wires. They exchanged glances then turned back over to Clyde.

"Okay." Clyde wiped a bit of sweat from his brow. "One of you put on the gloves and the other bring up the command menu on the kiosk."

After a brief game of rock, paper, scissors, Robbie put on the gloves while Pixel ran his fingers along the touch screen, bringing up the menu.

"Good. Now find where it says 'right fin replacement' then hit enter."

"Okay…" Pixel nodded.

The passengers could see two small lights flicker on from the outside and watched as they surrounded the heavily damaged fin. Soon a pair of robotic arms appeared from the ship's side and spread out across the wreckage.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Robbie asked with a gesture, causing the robotic arms to mimic him. "What the…"

"Yeah, now you see?" Clyde looked back briefly. "Robbie, I want you to gently, and I mean _gently_, lift up the wing and detach it from the base. Can you do that?"

"I'll try…"

Slowly, Robbie pushed his arms outward and eyeballed the fin, his hands opening wide and tilting to the side. With some careful maneuvering and a little imagination, Robbie managed to lift up the broken fin until another sudden jolt forced everyone to rock back and forth.

"Oh no!" Robbie fell to his knees but kept his hands in the same position. "Poodle!"

"No, you're good! You're good!" Pixel noticed the arms were still in place as he held onto the panel. "Keep going, Robbie!"

"Pixel!" Clyde continued. "When Robbie detaches the fin, use the joystick to lead the spare into place. You got it?"

"Sure thing." His fingers wrapped tightly around the black handle. "Come on, Robbie…"

"Okay…" He could see the rain starting to pour and the lightning keeping its pace while he wriggled the fin out of place. "Your turn, kid!"

"Right."

"Pixel, for the love of God!" Stingy shouted. "Don't screw this up!"

"Yeah, yeah." He rolled his eyes and moved the joystick slightly to the left.

He could see a support beam follow his every movement and decided to lead it towards the damaged fin. Pressing the red button on top of the joystick, he activated a pulley system that lowered into the damaged sector and removed the wires that were still attached to the fin. It was now up to Robbie to discard the damaged fin and bring out the replacement that was tucked into the slot that was now opening on the side of the ship.

"What do I do, kid!?"

"Just toss it!"

Robbie complied with the order and dropped the doomed piece into the abyss and grabbed hold of the replacement Pixel was now unveiling before him. The Track One rattled again from the lightning, forcing Robbie and Pixel back against the walls while the spare fin wobbled in place.

"Robbie, be careful!" Stingy cowered in between Ziggy and Trixie.

"Clyde, the storm's picking up!" Stephanie shook in her seat. "They'd better hurry or we're done for!"

"Pixel! Uncle Robbie!"

"C'mon, Rotten!" Pixel moved the joystick about.

"Right… right…" He wiped a bit of sweat from his brow, accidentally scraping off some of the metal from the fin.

"Robbie!"

"Oh, God!" He realized his mistake and took a deep breath, lowering the replacement. "Here it comes…"

"Careful… slowly, that's it… good, Robbie… Almost there…"

"Oh God, oh God, oh God…"

"Don't panic, Robbie… Just…"

"It's in!"

"_Repair sequence complete."_

"Clyde! Now!"

"Let's blow this taco stand!" Clyde shouted as he adjusted the ship's position and regained its balance.

With an additional boost of power, the Track One launched itself through the dark skies and dodged several bolts of lightning. Every loop, turn and swerve made the passengers, especially Stingy, cringe but the green-suited menace piloting the ship got a kick out of it. Once the rain had stopped, Clyde knew immediately they were at their destination.

"The sky's clearing up…" Stephanie noticed the view getting brighter. "Wait a minute, I think I see something!"

"Land!?" A hopeful Stingy cried.

"Yeah, I think so!" She squinted. "In fact… is that a palace?"

"That would be home." Clyde grinned while pressing a few buttons. "We made it, guys! Pixel! Uncle Robbie! Good job."

--

The castle was massive and towered above the trees that were already giants in their own right, surrounded by lush green fields and neatly trimmed bushes and other plant life. Its unique dome structure blended with its medieval design patterns and looked like something straight out of George Lucas's once visionary mind.

_**A/N: Y'know, before he hit the buffet line and drowned his creativity and morals in the bottle, if ya catch my drift…**_

The handful of people standing before the entry gates looked up at the sky and noticed the swirling black vortex that bulged from within the blue yonder.

"There's the gateway." Hallbjörn pointed up.

"I see it." Jezelle nodded. "But where are the ships?"

"They should be flying through any moment now…"

"There's one!"

"Yes but which one is it?"

"I can't tell from this far."

"Me neither."

"Your Majesty," A guardsman began. "I believe it's the Track One."

She squinted. "Yes, I see it now. Thank you, Thomas."

"My name is Gregory, ma'am."

"…Yes, I know. It's just that… well, you two look the same."

"Thomas is dead, ma'am."

"…Well you're both so tall."

"Jezelle, look…" Hal gasped. "Something's wrong!"

--

The Track One wobbled in midair as minor bits and pieces began to fly off into the distance. Inside the ship, Clyde and Stephanie were having difficulty trying to land as the engines finally died out on them after their entry.

_"Warning. Warning. Warning." _

"Yes, thank you!" A very sarcastic and irritated Clyde shouted. "Any chance you can bring the engines back online!?"

"_Negative. Replacements must be installed." _

"You're a punk, you know that!?"

They could all feel their stomachs rise once again as the ship swooped over an entire forest. One of the trees managed to knock into the belly of the aircraft, forcing several power boxes to go off and illuminate the dark room with sparks and flames.

"That didn't sound good!" Stephanie commented, keeping her fingers on the control panel.

"Nope!" Clyde shook his head. "Everybody hang on!"

They were unable to avoid another tree as it hit the nose of the blimp, causing further malfunctions onboard.

"_Food replicator destroyed."_

"Aw, crap! I'm sorry everyone! But it looks like we'll just be having salads for lunch!"

"Clyde! We're lowering our descent!" Stephanie panicked.

"Oh, this can't be good…"

"Fifty seconds till impact with the ground!"

Clyde grabbed hold of the controls and pulled up with all his might while the passengers found something to tighten their grips on their seats. Ziggy, Pixel, Trixie and Stingy all formed a group huddle while Robbie and Rottenella held onto each other for dear life.

"Stephanie?"

"Thirty seconds!"

"Oh, God…"

"Twenty-five seconds!"

"C'mon, baby…"

"Forty-two seconds!"

"Forty-two!? How did we get back up!?"

"Oh, sorry! I was looking at the egg timer!" She picked it up and flung it towards the back. "Who put that there!? Seriously!"

"This is it!"

Once the unstoppable force met the immovable object, mounds of dirt, rock and earth launched into the sky as a trail of destruction slid all the way towards the castle. Inside, everyone flew from their seats and crashed into various parts of the ship ranging from the walls to the cockpit and the hard wooden floor. The sounds of earth scraping metal and denting the hull proved to be a frightening experience for the crew as they helplessly rocked in place and prayed for the bumpy ride to be over. Eventually the traction between the two objects became too much and their hopes and wishes finally came true.

The lights were out, save for a few flames and a couple of sparks here and there, the interior was damaged and the engines were burned out but the crew was lucky to be alive. Stingy found himself wrapping his arms protectively around Trixie and slowly helped her up.

"Are you…"

"I'm okay." She sighed with relief. "Are you?"

"Yeah…"

Clyde and Stephanie remained leaning back against their seats with their hands interlocked and their faces covered with sweat and dirt. They took a moment to look at each other and laughed victoriously.

"Now _that's_ some good piloting right there!"

"Clyde, you did it!" She kissed him repeatedly. "I don't know how but you did it! I love you! I love you! I love you!"

"I love you too, angel! Whoo-hoo!"

--

"I think they're okay." Jezelle then turned to Gregory. "Go and fetch some men! Hurry! Quickly!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Well that takes care of Clyde's team." Hal looked around. "But where is Magnus?"

Then, like a falling stone, the familiar blue airship crashed into the ground without any warning. By the sound of the impact and the enormous mushroom cloud of dirt and rock, it was obvious that Sportacus and his team suffered a worse fate.

"Oh my… Magnus! Hal! That's our son!"

--

From inside the Track One, Clyde could see his uncle's airship down for the count right next to his and quickly unbuckled his safety belt. In a hurry, he and Stephanie exited the wrecked airship from one of the sunroofs and slid down its smooth back over to their fallen comrades.

"Uncle Sporty!"

"Oh no… Clyde, look!"

"What the…" His eyes widened. "…Uh-oh."

And there it was. Sticking right out of the airship's side like a harpoon to a whale, was the Track One's old and damaged fin that Robbie had discarded not too long ago.

"Clyde, that's…"

"Yeah." He gulped. "I know… Umm… SORRY!"

"CLYDE!!" His uncle's voice rang out from inside the damaged hull. "WHAT DID YOU DO!?"

"Umm... that was... uhh, that was _my_ bad! I admit it!" He grimaced. "S-sorry, uncle Sporty!"


	17. Getting To Know You Better

_**A/N: One of my favorite musicians has just died. Pile that on top of all the gloominess I've been reading on this site lately, I think I'll go ahead and appoint myself as the unofficial 'funny guy' of our little LT family. Someone has to provide this fandom with a bit of humor and light-heartedness on almost every page. Any objections? **_

**XVI**

The doctor wore a typical white coat with a stethoscope hanging from his neck and looked to be around his mid-forties judging by his thick brown hair with a touch of gray around the temples. He went around the infirmary, checking on the progress of the injured travelers row by row, marking off the names of everyone he visited on his clear plastic clipboard.

"Hello." He said in his Icelandic accent. "My name is Doctor Jorgis. Before we begin, can you tell me your name?"

"Uh… Louis Polk. Folks call me Louie. Uh… look, to tell you the truth… I'm not much for doctors. Ooh… my stomach's all queasy…"

--

"Dramatik Oberon. The middle child to my brothers Diabolik and Havik. Magik, my youngest sister is--wait, what are you writing down!? Stop that!"

--

"Bob. 'Nuff said, Mac. Yeah, I'm a rabbit. So what? And I know my fur is pink! Deal with it! Look, pal… yer makin' me real uncomfortable, ya know that?"

--

"Well, sir. My name's Jasper O'Reilly. I whittles on my spare time and when I'm not doing that, I like to practice on my hogtying! Wanna see!?"

--

"My name ith Norton Longview. But everyone I know referth to me ath the Profethor. Um, I don't know why really…"

--

In another part of the palace, he sat outside the room patiently and calmly. Almost an hour later and he was now on the floor doing sit-ups to pass the time. Another twenty minutes later, he was doing crunches. In ten minutes, he would soon be doing handstands. It was obvious to those who walked by and to the guards who stood there that he was nervous.

The love of his life was in the other room, being operated on and there was nothing he could do but wait. He hated being so helpless with every fiber of his being but alas, he had no choice but to sit this one out and let the doctors, that had served his family for generations, do their jobs to the best of their abilities.

"Sportacus?" The man said as he walked through the door.

"Yes?" He jumped back to his feet, hoping for the best.

"…We…"

"What is it?" He could see the worried look on his face.

"We had some trouble. There were complications and…"

"What are you trying to tell me?"

"You have to understand, your Highness. She was already in a frail condition when you took her out of there. And the impact of the crash must have made things worse for her."

"Please, tell me…"

"I'm sorry. We lost her."

"No…" He took a step back and tried to suffocate his emotions but failed miserably as he sprinted through the doors.

"Your Highness, please! Come back here!"

He ran and he ran until he finally saw her dead on arrival. His beloved airship was pulverized beyond repair, tiles and wall panels ripped apart by the unforgiving earth, the fins broken out of place and the lights were coming down to a dim.

"No…" He shook his head. "This… this can't be happening."

"Sir!" One of the engineers stood before him. "Please understand we did everything we could in our power to save her! There was no way we could--sir! Come back!"

He flipped onto one of the support beams the engineers were working on and climbed all the way to the top of his old friend, lying flat on his stomach while running his hand against the top fin.

"You can't die… you just can't die…" He whispered.

"_Systems powering down…"_

"No… please hang on…"

"_Goodbye, Sporta…cus."_

"NOOOOOOOOO!" He sat up and started pounding the metal with his fists. "LIVE! LIVE, DAMN YOU! LIVE!"

In total desperation, he ripped out one of the many exhaust pipes with his bare hands and placed it into his mouth. Then, with all his lungpower, he attempted to revive it with CPR by blowing through the pipe, unaware of the fact that things don't always come back to life that way.

--

"Look, I'm really uncomfortable around doctors… um, I said that already, didn't I? See what I mean? I forget things and I start to jitter and lose my sense of direction… umm… where are we, again? Do… oh, no. I'm dying, aren't I? No! Oh, God! What do I tell Alice!? My dear, sweet, darling wife Alice! This is _your _fault! Oh, what am I doing here!? I never should have sold my juice bar to enlist in the Trinity Watch! Damn it! Why did I sell the place!?"

--

"I hail from CrazyTown. Born and raised there as a true thespian of the arts, thanks much to my mother and father. My siblings, however, remain to this day a different story. After what they called a 'boring, self-centered, irrelevant and passionless" monologue I performed in front of the town square, we got into a quarrel and parted ways. Or rather, _they_ parted ways and fell into their--what are you looking at!? There's nothing on my leg! Pay attention to _me_, you cretin! How dare you!?"

--

"If yer thinking' about goin' near the subject of my mother, then you can forget it! I ain't got one! I was born from a cave, y'see! I'm just the brainchild of this cute lil' gal with pink hair who brought me to life with just her imagination! She was scared and thought of something harmless to help keep her mind off of things and whaddya know? It works! Ha ha! That Stephanie's a peach, I tell ya! Hey, any of youse chumps got a light? I gotta cigar that needs smoking!"

--

"And not only can I hogtie and wrestle ya like a piggy, I can also spin this here lasso into the shape of Texas! Yessir, that's a mighty fine state if I ever been to one… which I ain't been to, so there's no point in me goin' on about it. Ya like pig's feet? _Mm-mm_, boy! Them's some good vittles, I'm gonna tell ya what! Papa used to pickle 'em overnight in a jar of vinegar and saltwater then the next day we'd eat 'em like popcorn! A-course the local cinema never smelled quite the same after that but… hey! I got me a guitar somewhere with my belongings! You wanna hear me play some Hank Williams?"

--

"It wath the curth, I think. Number Nineth curth, to be ekthact. No one from CrathyTown could ever leave tho long ath the road wath broken and fog wath choking HathyTown! But you thee… I wathnt born in CrathyTown! I wath born in LathyTown! When I wath juth a baby, I wath thet adrift and Number Nine failed to rethcue me on time! I came to CrathyTown and wath taken in by a kind old lady, who raithed me ath her own! And when I dithcovered my ability to thet foot outthide the Forbidden Thone, I brought back any artifacth I could find to gain knowledge of the outthide world! I gueth that'th why they called me the Profethor… huh. Funny, ithn't it?

--

Stephanie, Stingy, Trixie, Pixel and Ziggy, after their brief stop at the infirmary, were checked into their rooms of the palace and later met in the grand hall to await the arrival of the king and queen of Aðalsteinn. They stood around and admired the artwork on the windows, the black and white checkered tiles of the floor, the smoothness and well-polished finish on the mahogany pillars and the towering statues of gold guarding the path towards the staircases on each corner.

"This is unbelievable." Stephanie smiled with total awe. "All this time…"

"Why didn't they tell us?" Trixie asked as she bent over to look through the glass pane of the antique grandfather clock standing against the wall.

"I don't know. But I'm sure they had a reason."

"I just hope everybody made it out of the crash okay." Ziggy said as he popped a piece of candy in his mouth to settle his nerves. "All this waiting around really makes me nervous."

"Welcome." Said a voice that startled them all.

He slowly made his way down the stairs and studied their expressions, each of them unique in terms of emotion. They looked at him in return and noticed he was about the same age as Sportacus, give or take a few years. He was just as built, wearing an odd pine and plum-colored outfit that clearly defined his muscular figure and had a full set of healthy and shiny blond hair.

"The king and queen will be here momentarily. I trust you found your rooms to be to your liking?"

"And then some!" Stingy exclaimed. "I mean right down to the plaid pajamas and boxing gloves! Amazing!"

"You wear plaid pajamas to sleep?" Pixel raised a curious eyebrow. "Wait, you wear them with _boxing gloves_!?"

"Oh yeah? Well what about _you_?"

"Computers at every turn, monitors stacked against the wall, video games and MP3 players galore! Faultless. Not an inch wasted."

"Well good." The stranger smiled as he continued on down.

"Who are you?" Stephanie finally asked.

He stopped again to introduce himself with a bow. "My name is Ozymandias. I am the king and queen's right hand, their personal advisor, their highest ranking military official and umm…" He tucked away a piece of feminine jewelry into his belt pouch and cleared his throat. "…well amongst _other_ things. And there's no need for you to introduce yourselves. I know exactly who you are."

"You do?"

"Oh yes. Where shall I begin?" He took another step down and looked at one of them.

"Patrick Gerald Brantseg. Better known to your friends and family as 'Pixel'. Computer genius, mechanics wizard and inventor extraordinaire. You've been dubbed LazyTown's official 'Gizmo Guy', haven't you? Well I can't say I'm unimpressed. You have a lot to be proud of. I'd say our battle against the forces of darkness has a tactical advantage now that you're on our team."

"Uhh…" He chuckled light-headedly. "…Thanks!"

"And you… Ziggy John Nelson."

"Hee-hee…" He giggled. "It's short for 'Ziegfried'. It was a typo."

"From?"

"Bill." He frowned.

"I see. You're a candy aficionado, aren't you? You cherish the taste of a freshly opened lollipop, the creaminess of a peanut butter cup and the chewy delight of a piece of taffy. You generally enjoy all the simple things in life, which is nothing to be ashamed of. You're oftentimes ecstatic and overenthusiastic when you put your mind to something but you've never let your friends or yourself down. That's just the kind of spirit we need."

"Yeah. Thanks."

"And you, young lady, must be Theresa Lei Kimble or 'Trixie' to your friends."

"I'm with you so far." She smirked.

"Outgoing, strong-willed and mischievous at times, people are often confused to consider you friend or foe. But judging by the company you are traveling with at the moment, I'd say your intentions are good but you could work on your delivery. You've got a natural beauty that can start a fire in the hearts of many and a mean left hook that can put it out."

"Amen!" Pixel and Stingy agreed, having been on the receiving end of one of her punches before.

"Steven Joel Hodgson, am I correct?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Or would you like me to call you 'Stingy', hmm?" He grinned, taking yet another step down. "Your nickname is well-earned, having developed such a keen obsession with things ever since you were little. You started small, of course. Toys, candy, bright shiny objects like _crystals_, perhaps? As you got older, your taste in things started to change. Now you were going after cars and money and… _girls_." He winked at Trixie, who blushed in turn. "I also understand your obsession with tidiness and cleanliness. Organization and alphabetization are a must and certain things must work in a certain order for you, yes? Don't deny it, young man. Your quirkiness can prove to be a useful weapon against our enemies."

"O-okay…" He looked around, almost embarrassed. "Yeah, that'll work, I guess…"

"And finally…" He touched the floor with his gold boot and slowly walked towards Stephanie. "We come to our crown jewel. The keeper of the ancient amulets. And the appointed leader of this operation, yes?"

"Well, not exactly but…"

"Don't be so modest. I know all about you, Stephanie Marie Meanswell. Well… _almost_ everything. I know your uncle is the mayor of LazyTown, he took you in after your parents died and ever since then, he's been afraid of losing you the same way. He's a good man with a big heart. That's why the people love him. That's why _you_ love him."

She nodded. "Yes."

"When you first came to LazyTown, you didn't know what to expect. You quickly made friends with the local children, got them motivated and when the local villain tried to stop you, you got some help from one of our own. The prince of Aðalsteinn himself. Since then, the two of you have formed a strong friendship, haven't you? You were shy at first, afraid to speak your mind but as you got older you knew how to assert yourself without being too forward or mean. Not only are you a talented dancer and singer but you're also an angel to many and a saint to most. Having saved LazyTown on more than one occasion, you suddenly find yourself in a position to do it again one last time in hopes that whatever evil it is we're battling will go away for good." He took her hand and kissed it gently. "You have a beauty all your own, Stephanie. But deep down I know there's a lethal and cunning warrior begging to come out and lay waste upon those who would terrorize your loved ones."

"I know what I can do."

"Not yet, you don't."

--

"All this stuff around me? I don't want to see it anymore! Take it away! I'm uncomfortable! Give me a phone! I want to talk to my wife! Alice! Where are you, baby!? I need to see you! Doc, you gotta help me out here! It's killing me just lying here like a hemorrhoid!" He then gasped. "Oh my God! I've got a hemorrhoid, don't I!? That's why I'm in this bed, isn't it!? Oh dear God in Heaven, what did I do to deserve this!? It's wrong, I tell you! It's wrong! Oh God!"

--

"What confuses me is why my siblings would want to work with a man who not only has no taste or appreciation for the arts but also kills and maims innocent civilians on the street just to get our attention! I mean _really_! How crass is that? Blood on the streets, people being skewered alive and roads being ripped apart! People have to drive on those streets, you know! Oh, the pain! The pain!"

--

"I'm getting tired just lookin' at youse, doc! Are you gonna ask me some questions or am I gonna hafta do yer job for ya!? Huh!? Is _that_ how it is!? Buncha lazy humans, that's what you are! All of youse! I don't need no shrink diggin' inside _my_ head! My thoughts are for _my _brain only! And ya know what!? I don't even think I even _have_ a mind! After all, Stephanie's the one that thought me up! Did she will it to me or do I do it myself? _Can _I do it!? Oh no… it's happening! I'm fading away! Wait, no… never mind! Ha ha! Scared myself for a minute there."

--

"Ya ever gone up to a cow and slap it on its ass just to see what kind of noise it makes! Shoot! I'm gonna tell you what, that there's a good guessin' game to play at parties! Ya never know if it's gonna whine, moo, or snort! Shoot, it might even drop a hot one on ya when yer not lookin'! Hey, you know what!? If ya get me some wood and a knife, I bet I can whittle up something in a jiffy! Y'know…. I ain't never told no one this but, uhh… sometimes… I's can whittle the future…"

--

"I don't know where I went wrong. Maybe it wath the lawn gnome. It could have been the lawn gnome. I wath running out of ideath! I had to thay _thumthing_ to keep their hopeth up! I mean I found everything I could in that area but afterwardth, the people juth kept athking me to find thtuff for them! Thtuff about a world I didn't know mythelf! Tho I juth came up with all thith nonthenth like a dead crow being the meanth of tranthportation for the aforementioned lawn gnome! They actually thought a pieth of porthelain wath a real human! The poor foolth!"

--

Doctor Jorgis just nodded as he wrote down some more on his notepad. After visiting with each of his patients, he sighed and said to them:

"Gentleman, I understand where you're coming from and I feel for you. Really, I do. But the thing is, I only wanted to check your injuries! That's all! The psychiatrist is in the other room next door! If you have a problem, take it up with _him_! I'll set up the appointments if you want! Now other than your minds being broken, twisted and mangled, I can see no physical injuries bestowed upon you! Now go and get the hell out of here and let me take care of the patients who _deserve_ to waste my time! Jesus Tap-Dancing Christ!"

"Sorry."

"Pardon me."

"My bad."

"Reckon that's my fault."

"The other room nekth door, you thaid?"


	18. Astral's Descent

**XVII**

_The damage was great but the village square was salvageable. Months had passed since Reiko's attack on the city of Mutari and there was no sign of his accomplice Camille. Astral walked along the great hall with Tarkin by his side and spoke with him of the events that had passed, unaware of a mysterious stranger following them from within the shadows. _

"_And whatever became of the amulets, Astral?"_

"I'm…" He hesitated for a moment, choosing his next words carefully. "I'm unsure. Didn't he use them against you during the conflict?" 

"_He did. But after he turned to gold, they suddenly vanished. There were no traces of them or this Camille person that killed those poor students."_

"_Then what they've been saying is true? Camille is still at large?"_

"_I don't want to raise alarm or cause a panic but…" He looked around and whispered softly with a nod. "…Yes." _

_Just then, a familiar face stepped out of one of the rooms and greeted the two men. "Gentlemen. I thought I'd find you here."_

"Hallbjörn." Tarkin shook the man's hand. "You remember young Astral, of course."

"Of course. I thought we would discuss some more about the crystals." 

"_Yes, very well. Astral, will you excuse us?"_

"_By all means." He nodded and watched as they entered the room across the hall. When they were gone, he grinned and acknowledged the invisible figure standing beside him. _

"_You can show yourself now, Camille." _

"_Good." The figure said as his black and turquoise outfit came into view, his face still hidden behind the hood and mask. "And for the record, it's 'Chameleon' now." _

"_Oh, fine. Chameleon it is then."_

"Hmm."

"They're onto you."

"So I've heard. They won't find me. Not so long as I know where to hide." 

"_You can't hide forever."_

"We'll see about that. And if anyone comes near me, I'll hit them with one of these…" He reached into belt pouch and took out a small dagger, thin and shiny.

"One of your flash darts?"

"They've never let me down before."

"Won't you run out?"

"I wouldn't be much of an assassin if I didn't have enough."

"I think you'd better hang onto the amulets. There's no telling what will happen if they find out that--"

"_Are you mad, Astral? You were the one Khan chose to carry out his plan while he was imprisoned. You hold onto them. My job is to find a way to bring him back." _

"_But what plan, Chameleon? All he wanted to do was tear down the walls of our civilization and watch the city burn."_

"Exactly."

"What?" 

"_Use the amulets, Astral. Only then will his vision be that much clearer to you." _

"_Where are you going?"_

"I told you. I'm going to find a way to bring Khan back."

"Is that possible?"

"Anything's possible, Astral. Your problem is, you have to be sure about everything. It'll kill you in the end, you know."

"_Perhaps."_

And with that, Chameleon blended in with his surroundings, practically vanishing into thin air. He crept away into the shadowy corners of the city and remained one with the buildings and their colors. 

_Astral, meanwhile, continued walking along the golden halls and noticed a pathway leading around the corner. Curious, he followed the brick steps into a dark room and was surprised to see a tall figure standing in the center on top of a stone pedestal. It's golden reflection from the sun was bright enough to illuminate most of the room, enough for the young Astral to realize who it was he was looking at. _

"_Khan." He whispered._

His face was still and calm yet one could sense there was an eerie and bitter feeling of tremendous malice and rage mixed with murderous glee. Astral knew the man all to well and was able to pick up on his hidden emotions buried beneath the frozen expression that stared him in the face. 

"_Astral…" He heard someone say. _

"_What?" He looked around and saw nobody. "I must be going crazy…"_

_Elsewhere, the other two men wandered into yet another dark room, mindful of their surroundings as they slowly approached a glass podium standing under a light that was shining from above. Tarkin walked over to the glass case and could see three small objects connected to each other, reflecting the light that towered above them. _

"_The crystals?"_

"Yes."

"_They worked then?"_

"Not quite."

"What do you mean?"

"For some reason, the crystals don't respond to danger as they should. We tried running tests on them individually, starting with small and minor threats that one would encounter in everyday life."

"And?"

"Nothing. It was when we put them together that they started emanating a powerful energy that prevented anyone on the testing grounds to get in trouble."

"How do you mean?"

"One of the machines we were testing the crystals with suddenly crashed and caught fire. We had to evacuate the lower levels of the castle until the crystals activated and reversed the damage that had been done."

"That's remarkable." 

"_I have a theory, though. One that will be played out in the following weeks."_

"Is there anything I can do to fix them, Hal?"

"I'm not sure. I'll be taking one of the crystals and leaving the other two here. Wait for my return and if my suspicions are correct, then I'll know what to do with them."

"Just what exactly are you going to do?"

"I'm going to assign a crystal to someone."

"Assign a crystal? What, to protect it?"

"In a manner of speaking. My guess is that the crystal needs a conscience to guide it. Wherever there is trouble, the crystal and the person in possession of it will sense the immediate danger together and face it."

"A special bond between them."

"Yes. But as I said, it's only a theory."

"And you need me to keep the other two here to test the other's capability."

"Yes."

"I understand. Good luck."

"Thank you."

After they exited the dark room, Tarkin closed the doors and locked them shut. The two men then faced each other, shook hands, and then parted ways. Nearby, Chameleon could see the crystal being carried away by Hallbjörn but thought nothing more of it when he noticed the slender metallic wand hanging by Tarkin's side. 

"_Deliverance." He whispered to himself._

_Sometime later, below the golden tower and within the city walls of commerce, Astral strolled through the townspeople and kept mostly to himself as the sun pierced through the cracks of the mountain. The bright rays caught him in the eyes and forced him into another part of the town square, where he rested against the fountain that supported the Golden Eagle of Sannindi. As he watched the people walk to and fro, he began to feel a heavy force weigh down on his shoulders. _

"_Let it go, Astral…" Another voice in his head told him. "You know you want to." _

"_What?" He looked around, surprised again to see nobody talking to him. "Who are you? What do you--"_

"Surely you recognize your own voice, Astral."

"My voice?"

"That funny feeling you get when you hold the amulets. You've had it before, haven't you? You know how good it felt to use them."

"For good, not for--"

"Don't deny it. You're curious. You want to use the power. Just to try it out and take the amulets for a test drive. Just reach into your pockets and pull them out. I'll take care of the rest…"

"I can't."

"Yes, you can."

"_But Tarkin--"_

"Tarkin doesn't matter. Khan wanted to see this place burn to the ground. Let's help make his dream a reality."

"But why?"

"Because it's fun, you fool! Introduce a little anarchy now and then and people will go mad with fear!"

"I'm not that sort of person."

"Yes, you are. If you weren't, you wouldn't be hearing things…"

"_No…"_

"Let me in, Astral. Let me take over." 

"_I… can't…"_

"_Now, Astral… now!" _

_Astral closed his eyes and took deep breaths to drown out the voices while he kept his hands in his pockets, feeling the warmth of the magic amulets. He remained this way for several minutes when a centurion tapped him on the shoulder, interrupting his thoughts. _

"_Are you all right?" He asked. _

_Astral opened his eyes with a grin and faced the soldier. "Oh, yes. I'm doing quite well, thank you."_

"Do you need me to--"

The man's words were cut off and replaced with screams of panic and agony as his head was set ablaze. He ran off into the crowds of people, who noticed the burning man and screamed in terror when they saw Astral wielding the Fire amulet and laughing maniacally. 

"_Sorry about that, lieutenant." He switched amulets and aimed. "Let me put that out for you." _

_Using the Water amulet, he raised the waves from the fountain and washed away the burning guard along with several innocent bystanders who were trying to flee. _

_Tarkin could hear the screaming from inside the council room and rushed out the door with several of his colleagues. They looked over the balcony in shock as they witnessed Astral's rampage along the city streets of Mutari. The young wizard continued alternating between the four amulets, terrorizing the innocents and doing battle with the guardsmen._

"Who is that man?" Asked one of the councilmen. 

"_It's Astral." Tarkin bowed his head. "Khan's apprentice."_

"What!?"

"I should have known he remained loyal to him all this time." 

"_We have to stop him!"_

With the power of the Earth, Astral raised himself into the air with his feet standing firmly on an ascending crag and combined the Fire and Wind amulets to create a massive firestorm. 

"_Stand your ground!" A centurion commander shouted as he and his men shielded themselves with their large golden discs. _

"_No one can save you now…" Astral muttered to himself as he enjoyed his rampage. _

"_Astral!" _

"_Tarkin?" He turned around to see the councilman. "Enjoying the show?"_

"Stop this madness at once!"

"I'd love to but…" He formed a fireball with his hand. "…I'm just having so much fun!" 

"_Very well…" He pointed his metallic wand at the young man and aimed at his hand. "I shall have to take you down myself."_

"I doubt you can."

"Watch me."

In the blink of an eye, the Fire amulet was blasted from Astral's hand and his link to the Earth amulet was broken, causing him to fall off the tall mountain. Another shot from Tarkin's wand landed against Astral's chest and pushed him through a balcony through the golden tower, preventing him from touching the ground. 

"…_Okay." He coughed as he slowly turned over on his back. "…Looks like you can."_

_--_

Astral now found himself lying on a bed in some strange foreign room. The ceiling was clean and white but not too bright that it would cause his old eyes pain. He redirected his gaze towards another soothing sight that he found in the form of a beautiful, young, blond Frenchwoman.

"Astral?"

"I…" He paused as she took his hand.

"Yes?"

"…For a moment I thought I was… in another place."

"We _are _in another place."

"We are?"

"Yes. But we are safe now."

"I'm not dead then?"

"No, you are not." She smiled.

"…Then neither is the nightmare."

"Nightmare?"

"Astral?" Demetrius noticed the old man was awake now. "Thank heavens you're all right."

The old monk let out a boisterous cough. "…For the most part, Demetrius. How did I end up here?"

"During the crash, you bumped into one of the support panels. You were out cold."

"Are you all right?"

"Us? We're fine. Amelie and I only made it out with minor cuts and scratches."

"Stephanie, is she--"

"She's fine. They're all fine, Astral. You needn't worry about them."

"We'll have to be very careful here. If Reiko and Remus knew we were coming, I have no doubt that they'll be ready for us."

"But how?" Amelie pondered aloud. "I thought only a native from Aðalsteinn could open the barrier and pass through the storm."

"You forget one thing. Remus is from here." He then looked to his left to see another patient on another bed.

"Hi." He smiled. "What are _you_ in here for?"

"Head bump, so I've been told. And yourself?"

He held up his hand, which had three full fingers and two that were clearly cut off. "Nasty, huh?"

"Good God, man. What happened to you?"

"Paper cut."


	19. Kook's Tour

_**A/N: I'm baaaaaaaaack!! That's right, you're not seeing things! After a SEVERE case of writer's block, my gloves are back on and I'm in the ring for another swing! And to kick things off with a bit of mystery, see if you can spot the cameos…**_

**XVIII**

_**All rise for the national anthem of Aðalsteinn:**_

_There is a mountain of snow, up past the big glen  
We have a castle enclosed, there is a fountain  
Out of the fountain flows gold, into a huge hand  
That hand is held by a bear who had a sick band_

_Of ghosts and cats  
And pigs and bats  
With brooms and bats  
And wigs and rats  
And play big dogs like queens and kings  
And everyone plays drums and sings_

_About big sharks  
Sharp swords  
Beast bees  
Bead lords  
Sweet cakes  
Maste lakes_

_O ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma_

* * *

The King and Queen greeted their guests in the grand hall and led them all in a tour of the castle, ensuring them that all formalities would not only be unnecessary but totally inappropriate. This led some of the males to believe they could grope and put their arms around the attractive and young-looking Queen with ease but after a fierce scolding and a dirty look given to them by Hallbjörn, Jasper, Bob, Dramatik and the Professor immediately backed down.

As they walked through another archway, they entered a hall filled with portraits of the royal family and the heroes that served their kingdom. Stephanie noticed something peculiar about the way most of the heroes looked and stopped in her tracks to study each of the different portraits.

"Stephanie, is something wrong?" The King asked.

"No, nothing…" She said, her eyes fixed on the large paintings. "I was just curious about these heroes. Some of them look really… well, _out of place_."

"Ah, yes."

He walked over to one of the portraits displaying a man dressed in purple with a small black mask over his eyes and petting a Bengal tiger. Stephanie examined the portrait closely and pointed at the skull on the man's belt.

"What does that symbol represent?"

"Oh, that? Well, it's an interesting story. This man came to us from the jungles of Africa in an attempt to improve his abilities and crime-fighting skills. He was the successor of his father, who in turn was the successor of _his_ father and so forth. This particular man you see here in the portrait was the 12th man to carry on the mantle of this particular identity. And those who would come to face him would never assume that it was a different man they were fighting. He served our kingdom only once but since then he returned home and carried on his family's tradition, wearing their sacred crest on his gun belt. We dubbed him the 'Ghost Who Walks'."

"Wow."

"Who's _this _guy?" Stingy pointed at another painting. "I like the suit he's wearing but the headband and Samurai sword need to go!"

"The guitar isn't bad, though." Trixie tilted her head.

"Now this one…" Hal squeezed in between the two. "…This one was a celebrity far before your time."

"And he was a superhero?"

"Among several other things, dear Stephanie."

"Like what?"

"Well he was the world's top neurosurgeon, a particle physicist, a rock star and he even had a monthly comic book series based on his likeness."

"No way one guy could do all that." Stingy shook his head in disbelief.

"Oh no? He designed and drove high-powered automobiles and studied bujutsu apart from particle physics. His skill with a six-shooter was reputed to eclipse that of Wyatt Earp. He spoke a dozen languages and wrote songs in all of them. His band, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, was one of the most popular, hard-rocking bar bands in east New Jersey. He came to us for help to see if we could improve upon his father's invention."

"What kind of invention?"

"His father called it the Oscillation Overthruster. In the short time he and his band were here with us, we devised a way to make dimension crossing possible."

"What?"

"In the years to follow, this man would eventually use his machine to cross over to the 8th dimension and unwittingly start an interplanetary battle for the world."

"You're joking, right?" Pixel shook his head from disbelief. "There's no such thing as the 8th dimension… is there?"

With a wink, Hallbjörn continued through the Hall of Heroes when Stephanie stopped once more to look at one final painting.

"Sorry but…"

"Yes?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that this one looks kind of familiar."

"Oh, _him_. He was an eccentric one, I can tell you. And just between us, I have a feeling he wasn't from around here. I mean not from this _planet_."

"Who was he?"

"I don't think he had a name, to tell you the truth. He mostly referred to himself as 'The Doctor'. Shall we move along?"

They walked high and low throughout the entire palace and when they reached the subbasement, Pixel's eyes widened with anticipation. The smell of silicon and various types of chemicals that drifted in the air tingled his nostrils and the sounds of machinery whirring and whizzing made his ears wiggle with joy.

"Wait a minute…" He smacked his lips. "I know that sound."

"Here we go…" Stephanie rolled her eyes with a grin.

"We're in the laboratory, aren't we!?"

"Impressive." Jezelle looked at her husband.

"I thought it would be a treat for you, Pixel, to come down and see how we do things. After all, if you're to assist us in our quest, you'll need to become more familiar with your surroundings."

The clear glass doors slid open to reveal a world of clean white floors, polished tables and advanced computer monitors scattered throughout. There were some standing on the desks and tables, some built into the walls and there were even monitors hovering in midair that displayed various blueprints and layouts for the latest inventions. Pixel took a step forward and separated from the group, glancing towards the back at what seemed like a metal wheel turning slowly and being loaded with several pods of blue energy.

"Wow." He gulped.

"Amazing, is it not?" Hal put a hand on the Gizmo Guy. "But of course, you'll need a team of scientists to collaborate with."

"Oh, yeah. Definitely." Deep down, the idea of him working with someone else caught him by surprise and almost sickened him. "I think that's reasonable enough, yeah…"

"Good. I'll introduce you to the head of the Science Division." He looked around for a moment and called out for someone. "Claudette! Claudette, do you have a moment? There's someone I'd like you to meet!"

"Really, sir. I can manage. I mean if I take a moment to familiarize myself with your lab and the equipment, I can…"

And that's when he saw her. A tall slim beauty in a white skirt and lab coat that helped to enhance her honey-colored complexion advanced towards the group and waved at them.

"Hello." She said.

"Claudette, I'd like you to meet Patrick Brantseg."

"Hello, Patrick."

"Uhh… hi." He took her hand and shook it, aroused by the intense softness of her palm. "And, uhh… you can call me Pixel."

"Okay." She smiled at him, her turquoise eyes placing him in a trance. "Pixel it is."

"Pixel here will be helping us develop some new weapons for our battle against Khan and his minions." Hal informed her.

"What?" She stepped back. "But sir, I already have plenty of men on the job! I don't think we need to bother ourselves with a civilian, especially an _outsider_!"

"Hey, whoa! I may not be from around here but back home, I'm what they call a miracle worker! A Gizmo Guy, to be exact!"

"Well, _Gizmo Guy_, what kind of inventions do you have for us?"

He could detect a hint of sarcasm in her voice but shook it off as he reached into his backpack and pulled out what appeared to be a metallic boot with several knobs and switches running along the heel.

"What is that?"

"You like it? I call it the ass-kicker 6000! The latest in ass-kicking science! You just slip it on and--"

"Ugh." She rolled her eyes.

"What?"

"You people…"

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"You create a useless invention, give it a silly name and add a number at the end just to make it sound scientific and advanced! I know your kind. Delusional, irrational, implausible and above all, _sloppy_!"

"Hey…" He cradled his boot with a whimper in his voice. "Easy now…"

"Well you two have fun sorting this all out. Dinner will be served in an hour. I wouldn't want you to be late." Hal patted Pixel on the back one last time and led the rest of the group back upstairs.

They stood there in an awkward silence, afraid of what to do or say next. She sighed and turned around, her shoulders crossed as he leaned in and quietly took a whiff of her curly brown hair that was currently being tied to the back of her head. He smiled and was suddenly filled with a new sense of optimism as he walked around to face her with the boot still in his hands.

"You know what? You're right. This silly thing couldn't even squash a bug. How 'bout you show me around and I'll show you my blueprints if you show me mine. Huh? What do you say?"

"No."

"That's cool. If you want to just have dinner first, I think that can be arranged. I hear the chef's--"

"Listen to me, _Gizmo Guy_."

"Y-yeah?"

"If we're working together on this, then you will do as I say and _exactly_ as I say. Do you understand?"

"I think so. So I guess seeing other people is out of the question?"

"Oh my God…" She sighed.

--

They found themselves in another hallway lined up with window panes that peeked into the massive courtyard. They could see the lush green fields and the stone pathways that led to the tables and seats made entirely of marble and the statues that surrounded the entire circle. As they walked past the view, Hal and Jezelle stopped in front of a room and exchanged glances.

"Stephanie, there was one more room I wanted to show you." He told her.

"Really?" She grinned. "Which one?"

He opened the door and revealed a room surrounded by nothing but instruments, amps, turntables and a glass sound booth. The group wandered inside and admired every object that was on display before them while the King and Queen smiled.

"This is the music room, as you can probably tell." Jezelle said. "Magnus has told us a lot about your affinity for music as well as your dancing and singing."

Stephanie's eyes were wide with awe and suddenly became fixated upon the electric pink guitar that was standing on its base with its wire already plugged to the amp. Slowly she approached it and placed a single finger over the strings, feeling its electricity run through her.

"Umm…" She bit her upper lip and turned to the King. "…May I?"

"Please." He nodded.

"Yes!" She muttered under her breath and picked up the instrument, placing the strap over her shoulders.

"You play guitar, Stephanie?"

"Well…" She modestly shrugged before playing the intro to the immortal '_Funk #49' _like a pro. Her fingers expertly stroked each and every string with precision, making quite an impression on Hal and Jezelle.

When she was finished, she realized she was out of breath and slowly placed the instrument back on its stand. "…Maybe just a little."

They walked back out into the hall, where a group of men in blue and white cloaks passed them by, muttering to themselves and flipping through the pages of an old textbook. One man, whose outfit was slightly modified to signify his high rank, stepped out of the group and raised his hand to stop them.

"My brothers!" He called out to them. "The King and Queen of Aðalsteinn!"

"ALL HAIL!" They bowed.

"Oh Lord…" Hal rolled his eyes.

"Hal." Jezelle shook her head. "Be kind."

"Come, my brothers!" The hooded man continued as he led them towards another hallway. "We have lots of praying to do!"

"Who are those guys?" Ziggy asked, laughing to himself.

"Just a group of loonies."

"Huh?"

"A religious sect. They don't mean anybody harm. They're just… well, they're just _weird_."

"What, do they worship a dolphin named Steve or something?"

"No. They worship a whale named Zül."

"Ha ha…" He gulped. "No, really."

"I'm serious."

"…Whoa."

--

In another part of the palace, Rottenella stepped out of her room and looked out into the courtyard, where she could see several children playing. She could feel the void within her again but the sight of the children laughing, playing and having a good time seemed to ease her pain. After a while, a distant rattle broke her trance and forced her to step back and turn to see a dark hallway around the corner from her room.

"Is anybody there?" She asked.

No answer. She stepped forward and immediately halted when she noticed the line between the light and dark was right at her feet. She could hear someone breathing in the distance and wanted to move forward but a hand suddenly placed on her shoulder prevented her from doing so.

"Desirée?" An old woman dressed in a long black smock and bonnet took her by surprise. "Desirée, is that you? Tell me it's you!"

"Uh, I'm sorry?"

"What happened to you? Where have you been?"

"Excuse me, I was just--"

"Now, now, Ms. LaFleur." Ozymandias gently placed his arms around the old crone and led her away from the young woman. "There's no need to startle our guests."

"My Desirée… gone."

"I'm sorry, I was just wandering the hallways when--"

"There's no need to apologize, Rottenella. You did nothing wrong."

"Is she going to be okay?"

"Ms. LaFleur will be perfectly fine. She just gets lost sometimes in this huge museum."

"Oh."

"Kind of like yourself, I see."

"Well I heard a noise and…"

"A word of caution, if I may. There's no need to go beyond that shadow. The room next door is one where beautiful young women like us, er--_yourself_… shouldn't visit."

"What was that last bit?"

"Nothing." He cleared his throat. "Everyone's downstairs. Dinner is about to begin. Come, I'll walk you down."

"Thank you."

As he took Rottenella's arm, he also took the old woman's. "_Both_ of you…"

_--_

"Once again, let me welcome you all to Aðalsteinn." Hallbjörn greeted his guests as they all sat at the ridiculously long antique dinner table inside the grand hall of the palace. "Jezelle and I are pleased to have with us our two sons, Magnus and Berto--home again after so many years, and our grandson, Clydesdale."

"You've got another grandson!?" Clyde looked around the room. "Who!? I'll kick his--"

"Clyde, sweetie?" Stephanie tapped his shoulder. "They're talking about _you_."

"Oh, yeah. Right. Cool." He giggled.

"And you, Stephanie." He raised his glass to her, directing everyone to follow his lead. "The keeper of the amulets and our hope against the tyranny of Khan."

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute…" She protested. "I don't think I'm actually--"

"To Stephanie!"

"STEPHANIE!"

"Aw, crap."

For the most part, the dinner went off without a hitch. Sportacus once again kept his distance away from Robbie as the reformed villain spent most of the time making chitchat with his estranged parents and his fiancée. After all this time, there was still an uneasy feeling swelling within him about his supposed long-lost brother. Could it be? After all those years of searching, wondering and worrying, that the man he once considered his arch-nemesis was actually his brother all along.

The thought made him sick to his stomach, ruining his appetite and on top of all that, his beloved airship was no more. With so much happening to him, he realized his life would no longer be the same. But perhaps in a world full of change, there was one thing he was willing to pursue. She sat next to him, tall, blond and beautiful in his eyes. They were childhood friends, practically considered siblings at first but as the years went by, his feelings for her matured and evolved into something more.

He could hear her laugh to one of Stephanie's stories from their early days in LazyTown when Robbie dressed up as a carrot and went around scaring the children. Robbie himself engaged in the laughter and admitted that it wasn't one of his best ideas but Rottenella, being the supportive fiancée that she was, heartily disagreed. Then he saw the two smile at each other and kiss gently before continuing on with their conversation.

It completely baffled him. How could someone like Robbie, who devoted most of his life to making people feel miserable and ruining young children's fun, suddenly find true love and give up his old ways in a heartbeat? And how could somebody like himself, athletic and extremely helpful and friendly towards the children, supporting a healthy lifestyle, miss out on one of life's simple treasures? It was obvious the love of his life was sitting right next to him but could he possibly tell her how he felt? Would she feel the same way? And if so, what next? Would he stay here and start a new life with her or would he return to LazyTown to continue his duties as protector? His head was now swimming with worry.

"Hey look!" Clyde interrupted his thoughts as he stuck two forks into two potatoes, making little dancing feet out of them and moved them along the table. "You guys seeing this!? Ha ha!"

_**--**_

**Song: **

**Wham City by Dan Deacon**


	20. A Good Man Is Hard To Find

_**A/N: After years of dreaming. After months of waiting. After weeks of anticipation. I will finally get to go and see... THE EAGLES! Live in concert! So if you don't hear from me this weekend, you know where I'll be. And if for some reason I don't show up sometime after that, I'll probably have been abducted by aliens, the CIA or a bunch of angry farmers for stealing their vintage cans…. Umm… yeah. So who wants a T-shirt?**_

**XIX**

"_Banishing me, are you?"_

"_We have no choice."_

"Of course you do."

"Death is not an option."

"Oh no?"

"I know you're under some sort of trance, Astral. It's the amulets. They're corrupting you. We've managed to collect all but one."

"And you think I have it?"

"I know you do. Hand it over and we can help rehabilitate you. Start over and--"

"I'm sorry but no."

"Then you leave me with no alternative."

"Tarkin, wait." Another councilman interjected. "If we banish him, who knows what kind of damage he'll cause in the outside world?"

"_He only has one amulet."_

"One may be enough."

_  
"Then again, it may not."_

"Are you willing to risk the lives of countless innocents outside our walls rather than force this man to cooperate with us?" 

"_And what did you have in mind?"_

"We can convince Astral to hand it over." Another chimed in. "By any means necessary."

"I will not have bloodshed in my province!" 

"_A little too late for that, don't you think?" Astral chuckled. _

"_Not on my hands. Not ever."_

"Oh, what a pity…" He rolled his eyes. 

"_Astral Fulgore, I hereby banish you from the city of Mutari."_

"…Hmm." 

_The ground suddenly shook as a mound of rock and dirt lifted from beneath the councilmen's seats. As they were thrown about, Astral attempted to reclaim Khan's amulets through Tarkin but the older man was wise enough to counter his attacks. With each green blast that emanated from Astral's hand, Tarkin deflected them with his magic wand. Furious, the young magician pounced on his enemy and rolled along the dirt floor with him as an invisible presence watched on. _

_Chameleon stood by and studied their every move, waiting for the perfect opportunity to jump in and snatch Tarkin's wand. When he saw his opening as Astral pinned Tarkin's arm outward, a stray energy blast from the wand forced him into a corner, where he was then trapped by a wall of rock that suddenly fell from the impact. _

"_No!" He growled under his breath, blending in with the orange colored rocks. _

_The two magicians, meanwhile, had each other in an arm lock until both their magic energies combined and pushed them back in opposite directions. When the centurions arrived, Astral knew he was in trouble. Facing defeat and fearing for his life, Astral turned around and fled down the halls of the golden city. There they chased him until they reached the gates, where Astral's speed picked up and helped him through to the other side. _

"_ASTRAAAAAAAL!" Tarkin cried._

_He was now standing at the edge of a mountain, the circular door wheeling shut behind him for good. Slowly he moved himself along the sides of the rocky path as an icy breeze blew past him. Using the Earth amulet, the only one in his possession now, Astral created a stairway that helped him get to the bottom. When he grew tired of just walking, he forced out a few steps with his magic and stood on them, levitating himself the rest of the way down. When he reached the wilderness that awaited him, he tucked the amulet back into his pocket and realized he was holding an extra item in his other hand. _

"_Tarkin's wand?" He held the metal rod closely and chuckled. "The fool."_

_--_

Astral opened his eyes and blocked out the painful memories and focused on the meeting that was taking place in the king's study room. Everyone gathered around and studied a 3-dimensional map that was being projected from one of Claudette's devices but Pixel, on the other hand, focused mainly on the beautiful scientist standing before him.

"If I remember correctly, the caves should be just beyond this wooded area here." The king pointed with a harmless red laser.

"And you're certain the amulet will be there?" Demetrius asked skeptically.

"Not exactly. But it's worth taking a look."

"Are the caves dangerous?" Trixie pondered aloud. "I mean is there a chance that we might run into trouble there?"

"While no one in a physical form hangs around there spoiling for a fight, there _are _certain dangers that need to be taken in consideration."

"Right. Well that does it for us, I guess." Stingy threw his hands up. "Trix, looks like you and I are sitting this one out."

"What? Don't be silly, Stingy. We're going in that cave with Stephanie and her team--"

"Yeah but how do you know we're even _on_ her away team?"

"She just finished going over it two minutes ago!"

"Huh? I must have missed that one. Well whatever! I don't want us going! No! I don't want _you_ going!"

"Why not?"

"It's too dangerous!"

"Stingy--"

"No need to thank me! I'm just looking out for you is all!"

"Stingy--"

"Look, if it'll make you feel better, I'll stay with you!"

"Stingy, _please_!"

"What?"

"Just… stop it! All right! God!"

And with that, she stood up and stormed out of the room. Confused, Stingy looked around and finally went after her. Nobody said or did anything for a few moments until Bob hopped over to the mini-bar and fixed himself a drink.

"Well I don't know about you guys but I think there's trouble in paradise, ha ha!" The chubby pink rabbit chuckled. "Hey! Who wants a White Russian?"

"Stephanie?" Hal turned his attention to the pink-haired young woman as she leaned against a wall, her arms crossed and gaze directed towards the hovering map. "Are you sure you want to start there?"

"Oh yeah." She grinned. "Definitely."

"Very well. Ozymandias?"

"I'll have some men escort you and your team on the way to the cave." The majordomo nodded. "There should be no problems but we can't risk your safety, now can we?"

Stephanie felt a bit uneasy about his remark but shrugged it off with a grin. "That's fine."

--

_Later that night, as the moonlight made its appearance within the mountain city of gold, Tarkin stood by his balcony and watched as reparations in the town square came to an end. Morrissey, Chaplain and Kalgon, three other members of the Mutari council approached their colleague, whose gaze was fixed on the area that was once demolished by both Khan and Astral. _

"_Alfonse?" Kalgon cleared his throat. "Alfonse, are you all right?"_

"…How long can we keep doing this?" He replied softly. 

"_Pardon me?"_

"How long can we keep wiping off the same mess over and over again and pretend like it never happened? People are dead now because of our inability to act on time. I suppose it's my fault, really."

Chaplain raised a suspicious eyebrow. "How so?"

"I should have seen the signs, Chaplain. There was no way Khan's students could have forged those amulets at such an early level. That's why he took it upon himself to create them all when they continually failed time and again."

"I don't understand."

"It was his project from the start. His theories on elemental control beyond the use of our wands and spells were shoddy at best." 

"_You doubted his abilities?" Morrissey pondered._

"Not his abilities. His intentions."

"What?"

"I found it odd that a man would obsess for complete control over all four elements. Like a fool, I shrugged it off and thought nothing more of it. 

"_Then why did he take in a group of students? An alibi, perhaps?"_

"I see no other explanation." Kalgon nodded. "But what about Astral?"

"_His only real student…" Tarkin sighed. "Loyal to the very end."_

"_So what now, Alfonse?" Chaplain stepped closer to him. "What do we with the amulets? We tried destroying them but their magic is too strong."_

"_We hide them." He concluded. "Scatter them throughout the region, where they may be safe from those would abuse their power."_

"_I disagree." Morrissey shook his head. "If we are to scatter the amulets, they must be as far away from Mutari as possible. Perhaps in another part of the world where little is known about it."_

_Tarkin suddenly got an idea. "…But remains a watchful eye nevertheless." _

_--_

_He entered the nursery quietly and placed his arms on her shoulders. She smiled at his warm touch and greeted his lips with hers as she cradled their brand new baby boy before placing him in his crib. _

"_Our Jonathan." Jezelle whispered. "He looks so peaceful."_

"Indeed he does." He smiled as he gently stroked the boy's face. 

"_Oh, Hal…"_

"You want another one, don't you?" He grinned.

"_Is it that obvious?" _

"_Oh yes."_

"_Ma…ma…" Another voice said. _

_Jezelle turned around and smiled at her firstborn, who was crawling at her feet and looking up at her with a drooling smile. _

" _Look at it this way, Hal." She picked up the infant and kissed him on the head. "At least Berto will have someone to play with."  
_

"_I've no objections whatsoever." He brought the two closer and kissed them both. _

_--_

"Anything?"

"…Hmm…"

"Anything at all?"

"…Uhh…"

"This was your favorite room."

"…I believe you, I just… I just don't remember anything. Sorry."

Jezelle sighed and looked down as she leaned against the door to the nursery. Robbie stood in the middle of the room, examining all the old toys, furniture and wallpaper he spent a lot of time around as a child. But nothing clicked in his mind. Rottenella was in the room as well, being painfully reminded of the one thing she could never have. After a while, she shook off the feeling and took her beloved by the hand.

"I think I'm done in here, uhh, _mom_." Robbie cleared his throat.

"Yes, of course." She nodded. "I just thought… you _know_ what I thought."

"Don't worry, though." He gave her a smile. "I'm sure _something_ around this palace will jumpstart my memory."

"I hope so." She gave him a quick hug and kissed him on the cheek. "Good night, son."

"Good night."

They exited the room and bumped into Sportacus and Helmina, who were just coming back from another part of the palace. The two brothers exchanged glances but nothing more. They all stood in an awkward silence until Helmina broke the ice.

"Well it's good to see you again, Berto." She took him by the hand. "And it was nice meeting you, Rottenella."

"Yeah. You too." She smiled back and shook the violet-eyed woman's hand. "Good night, Sportacus. Jezelle."

As the engaged couple left, Sportacus closed his eyes and exhaled deeply while his mother shook her head in disappointment.

"Magnus."

"What?"

"When are you going to get over it and face the facts?"

"There _are no _facts. Just theories."

"He's your brother."

"He's… Oh, I can't believe we're having this talk again. Good night, mother. Good night, Helmina."

As he stormed off in the opposite direction, the two women looked at each other with a look of concern on their faces.

"Maybe he's not ready to accept the truth just yet, miss."

"Helmina, he's as stubborn as his brother was."

"Oh yes." She smiled. "I remember Jon being a bit pigheaded himself."

"What happened to our family, Helmina? I suppose it's my fault for losing Berto in the first place."

"You didn't lose him, miss. He ran away. You know that."

"But I can't help wonder _why_ he ran away. Perhaps it had something to do with us. Did we say something? Did we push him too hard? I just wish I had the answers."

"And they'll come to you soon enough, miss. He'll remember his past. And Magnus will forgive him and accept him."

"I hope you're right."

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WEARING!?" They heard a voice shriek from another part of the castle.

--

"What?"

Out in a hallway, Ziggy stared at Pixel as he wore his blue and purple whale costume the Piranhas had provided him with several days ago. Pixel just shook his head in disbelief and total disgust.

"Ziggy, why are you wearing that!?'

"Why not? It's comfy!"

"Yeah but… but _why_!?

"Well I forgot to pack my pajamas and I tried sleeping in the nude but that didn't work out. I mean _you _try sleeping with a dozen chocolate wrappers sticking to your butt!"

"Aah! Ziggy! No! No! No! NO! Shut up! Stop talking! Just… ugh… whatever."

"Hey! I brought _yours_ if you want to--"

"NO!"

"All right. Well good night, Pixel!"

"Yeah, yeah…"


	21. With Friends Like These

_**A/N: Well I'm back. I don't want to drop any names but I'd say Somebody was living Life In The Fast Lane somewhere In The City near the Hotel California. Now I'm certain that I Can't Tell You Why that Witchy Woman was so Busy Being Fabulous or How Long I was Waiting In The Weeds giving Dirty Laundry to that Desperado who was Guilty Of The Crime, leaving that Hole In The World. She said All She Wants To Do Is Dance to that Funk 49 but I saw through her Lying Eyes and told her I Don't Want To Hear Anymore and to Walk Away but she was Already Gone. Little did she know that it was a Long Road Out Of Eden through that Rocky Mountain Way and that there would be No More Walks In The Wood. Still I suppose that In The Long Run, I left with a Peaceful Easy Feeling and realized Life's Been Good to me and that the whole experience wasn't really Wasted Time. **_

…_**Just thought I'd share that with you. Anyway, let's Take It Easy for a bit, shall we?**_

**XX**

"Why do _we_ have to share the same room!?"

"Yeah, _he_ has gas!"

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do!"

"All right, calm down, you two…" Stephanie said in a firm voice as she stood in the middle of the room, between the two beds. "Now I already called your parents and told them the situation. I promised them that I'd keep you out of harm's way and that you'd return home safely."

"Really?" Gloria's eyes sparkled. "You'd do that for us?"

"Of course I would."

"Wow…" She frowned. "Why!?"

"Why what?"

"Why would you make such a dorky promise like that for!?"

"Yeah!" Ritchie nodded his head as he stood on the bed in his pajamas. "We wanna get in on the action!"

"Oh no." Stephanie shook her head. "No, no, no. You two are going to stay here tomorrow while the team heads for the cave."

"But why!? This place is boring!"

"Ritchie, trust me. None of us know what could happen while we're over there."

"What, you think you might die from a severe case of boredom?" He sarcastically gasped. "My gosh! That's terrible!"

"Listen, you little smart-aleck!" She playfully swept him off his feet and placed him on his back. "Ozymandias is going to spend the day with you tomorrow to keep you guys company."

"You mean that guy with the makeup?"

"What makeup?"

"Uhh…" He gulped. "…N-never mind."

"C'mon." She lifted the sheets. "Into bed."

"Oh, all right…"

She helped him under the covers and tucked him in gently, kissing him on the head. "And if what Gloria says is true, then I'll leave a window open."

"It's not _all_ true…"

"C'mon, little missy." The pink one then turned her attention to Gloria, who was already one step ahead of her, crawling into the blankets. "And if you're going to kill him, please don't leave a big mess."

"Deal!" The little girl wrapped her arms around her idol and kissed her on the cheek. "Good night, Stephanie!"

"Good night, sweetie."

She stood back up, headed for the door and switched off the lights. When she was out in the hallway again, Clyde greeted her from behind with his arms wrapped around her waist.

"I saw that." He grinned.

"Saw what?" She blushed.

"You know. The way you were handling the situation in there."

"What situation?"

"Well let's see… two kids, a boy and a girl; and of all people to tuck them in, it had to be you. I'm surprised you didn't read them a bed time story."

"HEY, YEAH! WHAT THE HELL, LADY!?" Ritchie's muffled voice shouted from behind the closed door.

"Ritchie!" She slammed her fist on the door.

"Why Miss Stephanie," Clyde turned her around and looked deep into her chocolate-colored eyes. "You've got a knack for this sort of thing, you know that?"

"Yeah, I guess I do."

"You wouldn't happen to be thinking of… well, _y'know_…"

"All in due time." She kissed him on the lips. "But right now a good night's sleep sounds good."

"You go on ahead. There's something I have to take care of." He kissed her back. "Good night."

"Good night."

As they parted ways, Clyde stopped and turned around to see his pink angel enter her bedroom. He then looked down and smiled as a warm feeling swelled in his chest.

--

The next morning, after everyone finished their breakfast in the grand hall, the away team began loading up their things on the Track One. Sportacus, feeling a bit empty inside, gazed up at his nephew's airship and began to reminisce about his lost companion.

"Uncle Sporty?" Clyde noticed his uncle's empty stare. "You okay?"

"Huh?" He regained his focus and straightened up his shirt as if nothing was bothering him. "Fine! Fine! Everything's good, Clyde. Thanks. Ready to go?"

"Well _we_ are."

"Good."

"Umm… aren't you going to change?"

"What?" He looked down and noticed he was still wearing his blue and white striped pajamas. "Oh for the love of…"

"Hey, Sportadoofus!" Robbie approached him with a pat on the back. "Whoa! Nice jammies! And here I thought you slept in the buff like the egotistical muscle-head I took you for!"

"What was that!?" Ozymandias came rushing up to the group, giving Sportacus a once-over then frowning. "…Oh."

As Sportacus rushed back into the palace to change, five servicemen dressed in black and blue uniforms armed to the teeth with various weapons, met with everyone in the courtyard below the hovering airship. The leader of the five, tall, well-built with a healthy head of spiky blond hair and wearing a pair of sunglasses, saluted Clyde and Robbie.

"Sirs! We are to accompany you on today's outing."

"WHAT OUTING!?" Ozymandias blurted out, almost suspicious of something. "What are you talking about!? I don't know what you mean! Why wasn't I informed!?"

"Uhh, sir…" He cleared his throat. "I meant the expedition towards the caves."

"…Oh, yes! Yes, _that _outing!" Ozzy chuckled nervously. "Gotcha. Very good."

"At ease, boys." Clyde motioned for them to stop saluting.

"Hey, hey! Wait a minute!" Robbie smugly belayed the order. "Let 'em keep doing what they're doing… I kind of like it!"

"Robbie!" Rottenella gave him a dirty look.

"Oh, all right!" He waved his hand. "You can stop saluting now."

"All right, everyone!" Stephanie hollered as she slid down the rope ladder wearing her Kevlar jacket. "We've got a cave to explore now let's go!"

Amelie, Demetrius, Ziggy, Pixel and Stingy followed Stephanie up the ladder and into the airship. Before Trixie could climb on as well, she was halted by a familiar voice.

"Trixie, right?"

"Yeah?" She turned and looked at him.

"It's me."

"…Me who?"

He removed his sunglasses much to her surprise. "Leon! Remember?"

"Oh yeah! Hey, Leon. How's it going?"

"Oh, nothing much. Looks like we'll be heading out together."

"…Together, yeah."

"Well not _together_, together but you know…"

"Yeah, yeah, I do."

"Cool…"

There was an awkward silence until they both realized neither of them had entered the airship yet. Halfway to the top, Stingy looked down and noticed Trixie giggling with the commanding officer. He froze in place, his eyes widening and jaw dropping, unaware that his hand was slipping off the rope. The trance was instantly broken the moment he began to drop but thanks to a properly dressed Sportacus, so was his fall.

"Oh God…" He sighed as he realized he was being supported by one of Big Blue's arms. "Well _this_ is embarrassing."

"You're welcome." He chuckled as he helped him climb back to the top.

"Stingy!" Trixie looked up. "Are you okay!?"

"Yeah!" He called back before growling under his breath. "…Just fine."

"We'd better go up now." She smiled nervously at Leon.

"Yeah, good idea." He then turned to his men. "Let's move on up, everybody!"

--

The Track One took to the skies and soared above the magnificent kingdom of Aðalsteinn. Everyone who wasn't familiar to the land looked out their windows and marveled at its beauty. Surrounding a crystal clear body of water were lush green fields, a beach of clean white sands with tall and mighty trees proudly watching over them. As they passed a hill, they could see several deer run by, a flock of birds rise up along a meadow and a family of rabbits curling up inside their hole.

"Hey, look!" Bob excitedly jumped on Demetrius' lap. "Them's my people!"

"Not really, Bob, no." The wizard shook his head.

"Huh? Why not!?"

"Well you're so… _pink_."

"And I thought segregation was a thing of the past." He shook his head. "You disgust me."

"Said the binge-drinking, anus-sniffing, pink rabbit."

After what seemed like such a short trip, the Track One finally settled itself over a large woodland area. The trees and bushes differed greatly from those they had just seen and there didn't appear to be any sign of animal life anywhere. Slowly they lowered themselves to the ground until there were three people left to climb down the ladder.

"Ziggy, maybe you should stay here." Pixel said.

"What? Why?"

"Well it could get dangerous."

"They're just caves, Pixel!"

"Yeah but I'd hate to feel responsible for the death of a good friend of mine. So why don't you just stay here and keep watch, huh?"

"Keep watch!? From what!? A flock of rabid hamsters!?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Screw you! I'm going down there!"

"Ziggy, please!"

"What!? Then why did you ask me to come along if you weren't going to let me in on the action!?"

"I didn't ask you."

"You didn't?" He then turned to Stephanie.

"Don't look at me." She shook her head. "Pixel, I thought _you_ were going to--"

"What!? No! Trixie said she was going to tell him!"

"But I told _you_ to tell him!"

"Tell me what!?" Ziggy was beginning to lose patience.

With a heavy sigh, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Ziggy, we didn't want you coming along on this particular mission."

"You didn't?" His voice dropped to a whisper. "B-but why? The amulet… you need help, don't you?"

"We've got plenty of help right now, Ziggy. Thanks anyway."

"I don't understand."

"We're just looking out for you, man." Pixel shrugged.

"It's because I'm the youngest, isn't it?"

"No." He rolled his eyes. "It's not that at all… well, okay, maybe a _little_ but…"

"You're still afraid I might screw things up, aren't you?" He threw his hands up in the air and sat down. "Why did I even bother to come? Why did you let me?"

"We just…" Stephanie paused for a minute, afraid of what to say.

Ziggy read her like a book and frowned. "…You just did it to make me feel useful."

"Ziggy, I--"

"Just go."

"But--"

"I'll keep watch."

Stephanie and Pixel exchanged guilty glances at each other and proceeded down the ladder. Hurt and deeply embarrassed, Ziggy activated one of the monitors and switched on the infrared map.

--

Outside, they slowly trekked through the woods and saw a vast opening near a shaded area. Every stayed put while Leon and his men went closer to investigate.

"I don't see what the big deal is." Bob said as he rested on Amelie's shoulder. "It's just a stinkin' cave."

"Are you sure about that?" Sportacus asked.

"You better believe it, Mac! Trust me! I know _all about _caves!"

Leon approached the group with a radio in his hand. "I'm going to take my men in first and scout the area. See what we can find, y'know?"

"Sure." Sportacus took the walkie-talkie.

"We'll radio if we find anything."

"Be careful."

As the five men entered the building, Stingy noticed his girlfriend keeping a concerned eye on the leader of the group.

"…So." He broke the ice at last. "That Leon guy's pretty cool, I guess."

"Huh? What?" Trixie looked over to him. "Oh, _him_? Well I suppose…"

"Right." He looked down and kicked a small mound of grass.

"Is something wrong?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"You just seem a little… out of it."

"No. I'll be all right."

"Listen…" She put her hands over his. "About last night…"

"You don't have to apologize."

Her eyes widened as she let go of his hands. "Wait, what?"

"It's okay, Trix. I forgive you."

"Huh…" She gave him a challenging stare. "So I guess _I'm _to blame for our little row last night?"

"Well you _were_ kind of overreacting."

"Oh, this coming from Mr. Overprotective!"

Suddenly, before their fight could grow even louder, they all heard a loud scream coming from within the cave.

--

"Some friends." He scoffed. "Yeah right. No respect whatsoever for me…"

Just then, Ziggy noticed something strange surfacing on the map near the area within the cave. It started out as a red blur then gradually broke off into several pieces, crawling all over the greener areas of the map.

"Wait a minute…" He looked closer at the screen. "There were five _little_ red blurs walking into one _big_ red blur… now the big one's broken off… there's now several big red blurs and… _four_ little ones? Oh, this isn't good…"


	22. Into The Frying Pan

_**A/N: Chamber Of Secrets, anyone? Hmm? No? Two Towers/Return Of The King? No? Nothing? Okay, then… **_

**XXI**

The crystal went haywire again, forcing everyone to cup their ears from the sharp blaring. It hadn't done that since the massacre in Reykjavík so naturally Sportacus and the others knew they were in for another shock.

"This can't be good." Sportacus said in a low voice.

"Uncle Sporty." His nephew sighed. "When is it _ever_ good!?"

"I'm going in." He started for the entrance.

"Then I'm going with you!" Stephanie followed.

"All right!" An excited Trixie shouted for joy as she pulled out a high-powered rifle of some sort from inside her coat. "Finally! Some action!"

"What!?" Stingy put his arms on her shoulder. "Trix, you can't be serious! This was just supposed to be a nature walk, remember!?"

"I know! But now this trip has officially been upgraded to a rescue mission! Isn't it cool!?"

"No, it's not cool!"

"Oh, quit being such a baby! Now let's go bust some heads!"

"What heads!? For all we know, someone could have just had a nasty fall."

_**"YAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGHHH!!" **_

"…An _incredibly_ nasty fall."

"_**NO! NO! IT'S COMING BACK! WAIT! NO! HEEEEELLLLP! AAAAAHHHH!!" **_

"Ha ha." He gulped. "…It's probably… it's probably just a spider or something."

"_**OH MY GOD, IT RIPPED HIS HEAD OFF! WAIT, NO! STAY BACK! STAAAAAY BAAAAAACK! AAAARRRRGGGHH!"**_

"…Maybe a _big_ spider."

"Oh, will you just come on!?"

And as she grabbed him by the hand, they followed Clyde, Pixel, Amelie, Demetrius, Bob, Stephanie and Sportacus into the dark cavern, where a deadly surprise awaited them.

--

Inside the airship, Ziggy rocked back and forth in his seat while the red blurs on the green map grew bigger. The static on his radio fizzed and caught him by surprise, forcing a high-pitched squeal to escape from his mouth.

"Oh, God…" He gasped. "That's them. They're in trouble, I just know it."

He reached for the walkie-talkie and slowly picked it up, turning the dial and pressing the button to respond to their distress signal. "Th-this is Ziggy. Come in."

"…"

Static.

"Repeat. This is Ziggy. Come in."

"…"

More static.

"Oh, for the love of--"

_"NOOOO! NOT THE HEAD BITE! NO! NO! NOOOOOOOO!!"_

In a panic, Ziggy juggled the radio up in the air and stumbled out of his seat, heading for one of the closet panels. When the doors revolved, he found himself stuck inside a small space and breathing heavily.

"I knew it! They're done for!" He squealed some more.

He then noticed the green and lime tracksuit hanging on the rack and facing him. He examined the pine-colored boots and wristbands, the metallic chest emblem with a fist and the words "_Right On_" etched around it and the tilted green beret hanging on the clip. For a moment he was calm and remembered the trials and hardships Clyde went through before earning his rank as an official superhero.

"Clyde was afraid of a lot of things." He gulped. "_I'm _afraid of a lot of things. But he conquered his fears and got what he wanted in the end. Maybe… maybe I can do the same. I can save my friends and overcome my fears and finally… earn some respect!"

--

The roaming flashlights weren't enough to illuminate the dark cave in its entirety. They stayed together in a group and searched for the missing Aðalsteinn officers. As they walked on the cold wet ground and hopped along several of the rocky platforms, Stephanie could feel a heavy presence weighing down on her.

Demetrius noticed this and approached her. "What is it?"

"I can sense it." She placed a hand on her chest and looked around in the darkness. "The amulet is here."

"Really? Not bad for a first try, huh!?" Bob exclaimed as he stuck his head out from within the monk's robe. "Hey, did youse hear something'?"

"What is it, Bob?"

Sportacus felt a sudden breeze as an object hidden within the shadows hurried past him. "Huh? What was that?"

"You felt it too?" Bob hopped on over to the Man in Blue. "Now I know I ain't goin' crazy!"

"Pixel?" Amelie looked over to him as he ran his fingers along his wristband. "What do you see?"

"Scanning." His gaze remained fixed on the small illuminated screen. "Oh crap. You and Demetrius better get your wands ready. Trixie?"

"Yeah?"

"Got your gun?"

"You know it!" She loaded a cartridge into it, which then caused the weapon to hum and light up. "You want me to cover you?"

"GAH!" Stingy shrieked.

"What is it now!?'

"Something went up my leg!"

"Hold on, let me see!" She used the gun's light to shine on his leg and noticed a small spider dangling from his pant pocket. "It's just a spider, you big doof!"

She flicked the bug off and shook her head with a smile on her face. "You're cute when you get nervous, you know that?"

"Well it's a good thing I've got you to bail me out then, isn't it?" He chuckled nervously.

There was a distant growling that caught them off guard. Amelie and Demetrius pointed their wands out while Trixie kept her finger on the trigger of the gun.

"_Who enters my domain?"_

"Who are you?" Sportacus spoke into thin air. "Show yourself."

_"You are an intruder… all of you are."_

"This cave is on _my_ land, governed by _my_ parents."

"_You will not leave from this place alive…"_

"You're in no position to threaten us. You either reveal yourself to us or suffer the consequences."

"_You will suffer to the very end…"_

"I'm warning you! One last chance! You will--"

"All right, I'll take it from here." Stephanie shushed the man. "Hi there! We're with the electric company! Say, we noticed the lights are off in this place! How 'bout we go around the back and see what we can do about bringing the power back up, huh? Does that sound good to you?"

"Stephanie, what are you doing?"

"Shush it, man!" She hissed. "Okay! Now the first thing I need to see is your power generator! Where do you keep it? I mean do you have a power box, a breaker of some sort… umm… a shiny gem, perhaps?"

"_Gem?"_

"Yeah! Is that what you have? A little gem? Possibly surrounded in a gold disc with a chain? Where do you keep it?"

_"You speak of our wind shrine?"_

"Wind shrine?"

In an instant, followed by the sound of low crunching and murmuring, a pathway opened up to reveal a crevice in the wall, where a single beam of light shined down on a gold amulet. Stephanie slowly stepped forward and could see a bright purple tinge reflect from the center of the golden disc and grinned.

"Found it."

But before she could go any further, the entrance sealed off again to the sounds of more crunching and murmuring. Furious, she looked around in the darkness and pulled out an amulet from her bag.

"Open that thing up again _now_!"

"_No…" _

"Oh, come on!"

"Stephanie?" Clyde suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. "I don't think that's such a good idea…"

"What the…" Trixie noticed something moving along the floor in the dim light of her gun and squinted for a better look. "More spiders?"

"Spiders?" Stingy gulped. "Crap."

"Uh-oh." Sportacus looked down as his crystal went off again. "Someone's in trouble… and I think it's _us_!"

Stephanie activated the Fire amulet to illuminate the cave and what they all saw next caught them totally by surprise. Surrounding them was an army of giant spiders, no bigger than a Buick, hissing and growling at them.

"Holy Jesus! And I was only kidding about the giant spiders!" Stingy screamed.

"Amelie! Long rage attack!" Demetrius ordered his pupil.

"_Oui monsieur_!"

The two combined their magic attacks and created a swirling energy beam that pushed away an entire section of the giant spiders while everyone else scattered about.

"Oh, this ain't gonna be pretty!" Bob shouted as he hopped along the backs of several arachnids.

Meanwhile, Sportacus and Clyde flipped back and forth away from the spiders' flailing limbs and rolled along the ground when they were suddenly encased in a strong silky material.

"Gross! One of them threw up on us!"

"No, Clyde." Sportacus grunted as he and his nephew fell to the floor. "It's webbing!"

"Oh, thank God! For a second I thought this was some sort of sick mating ritual of their or someth--hey, wait a minute!"

"Whoa!" Pixel dodged one of the spider's razor-sharp legs and switched modules on his wristband. "Okay, so you like trapping things, huh? Well get a load of this!"

Springing from his wrist was a net composed entirely out of light but when it wrapped itself around the spider, it immediately turned into an indestructible alloy that shrunk in size and crushed the arachnid to death.

"Yeah!" Pixel gloated. "That's how I roll!"

Seconds later, he too found himself entangled in one of their organic webs. "Crap!"

Trixie ran across the cavern at a tilted angle, blasting away at the army of spiders. Orbs of blue energy came into contact with the large mutants and exploded into waves of green and yellow goop. Stingy stood by and watched when suddenly, he too was captured by a stray web.

"Oh no!" Trixie turned around. "Stingy!"

One by one, every member of the Trinity Watch was taken away by the large swarm until Stephanie was the last to stand. She stood on a mound of wet asphalt and looked up to see another wave of bugs dangle above her, ready to make their attack. She leaped out of the way and incinerated them with the Fire amulet and raised a protective wall of rock from the ground using the Earth. When the spiders managed to break through, she cart-wheeled herself out of their reach and dashed for the Wind amulet when one of their webs finally grounded her.

"Hey!" She griped. "That's not cool!"

One of the spiders grabbed hold of a rock and banged it against her head. There was darkness for the next thirty minutes and when she woke up, she was hanging upside down. Her entire body was numb and restrained from the pressure of the web but she was able to move her head. She looked to her left and saw Sportacus, Clyde, Demetrius and Stingy struggling to break free. When she turned to her right, Bob, Amelie, Pixel, Trixie and Leon were already being lowered to the ground.

"Oh no." She gasped. "Trixie! Pixel!"

"Pinky!" She looked up. "They didn't kill Leon yet but everyone else is dead! And I think we're about to be next!"

"Hold on! I'll get you out of here!" She struggled to reach for her amulets when suddenly…

"_You come into my home uninvited and expect to be treated humanely? Never. Not when my children are starving…"_

"Your children?" Leon gulped. "Wait a minute, you mean…"

_"Yes…" _

The mother spider, big enough to fill almost the entire half of the cave peered through the darkness and looked down on them with all eight of its bulging eyes. Naturally, everyone screamed and nearly crapped their pants at the sight of a 25 ft tall tarantula drooling over them.

"Spider! Spider! It's a freaking spider!" Stingy was now losing it. "We're gonna die! Stephanie! Do something!"

"I'm working on it!"

_"Eat, my children…"_

But before the younglings could feed, a stray blast of machine gun fire forced them back into the corners as a heavily armored Ziggy came running in, waving his gun about.

"YAAAHHH! Back! Back, I say!" He ordered the enemy without actually realizing what it was he was dealing with.

He raised the visor up from his black helmet and looked up at his friends, who were still trapped in their cocoons.

"Hey, guys!"

"Ziggy!" They all shouted.

"Where were you?" Pixel asked.

"Oh, I was in the closet." He said as he lowered his weapon. "But it's okay! Because I came out just for you!"

"You what!?"

"Well not just you but for _you_ too!" He pointed at Stingy.

"M-me?" A very disturbed Stingy gulped. "Uhh, Ziggy?"

"Guys, look! It's okay! I mean I know I had a lot to think about while I was in there but it all made sense in the end! I gathered up all the courage I had and I came out of that closet! I love you guys, you know that!?"

"Ziggy, what the hell are you talking about!?" Trixie squirmed. "Shut up and get us out of here!"

"Well not with that attitude. I mean I took a big step and came out of that--"

"Ziggy!" They shouted again.

"Okay, just answer me this. Do you still think my tagging along was a bad idea?"

"Ziggy!" They repeated.

"Yes, yes! Hail Ziggy! I know! Just answer my question!"

"Ziggy!"

"What!?"

He turned around only to be greeted by the wind-blowing screech emitted from the mother spider. "AAAAAAAHHHH! WHAT THE HELL IS _THAT_!? HELL NO!"

Like a simple chess piece, the queen was able to push Ziggy away and make her move towards the rest of the group. When the moment came and she was close enough to reach, Stephanie broke through her web with the heat of the Fire amulet and jumped on top of the creature's back.

"_Foolish human…" _

"Yee-haw!" She hollered, enjoying her little rodeo.

"Stephanie, be careful!" Clyde pleaded as he began to swing back and forth in his cocoon. "Hold on! I'm coming for ya!"

"Clyde, no!" Sportacus warned him. "You'll hurt yourself!"

"Don't be silly, uncle Sporty! I'll be just--"

And like that, Clyde's head smashed against the rough wall behind him and left him dropping to the floor. He rolled along in between Trixie and Leon, where they noticed a trail of blood flowing down the side of his head.

"Oh no! Clyde!" Trixie gasped. "Leon, is he…"

"No, he's fine." He squinted at the wound. "…I think."

"Clyde!" Stephanie saw her beloved on the floor, still and silent.

This distraction proved useful for the queen spider as she rocked the pink one off her back and prepared to impale her with her sharp claws.

"_Now you die…"_

"Oh, will you just shut up!?" She shouted as she dodged the attack just in time.

She jumped back on her feet and focused the power of the Fire on one of the queen's eyes, causing it to explode and force her and her children to retreat. As they shuffled off, Stephanie unleashed the power of the Earth and tore down the wall in front of her, revealing the dangling Wind amulet still in place. She hurried over to it and snatched it before attending to her friends, especially Clyde.

Once she burned through his web shell, she got down on her knees and helped raise his bleeding head while the others gathered around them. She fought back the tears and rocked him in place, trying desperately to wake him up but to no avail.

"Clyde…" She whispered, almost choking on her tears. "…Clyde, sweetie."

"He's hurt pretty bad, Stephanie." Sportacus put a hand on her shoulder. "We need to get him out of here now if he's to stand a chance."

"You're right." She sniffled as she and Sportacus helped him up. "Let's get out of here. We got what we came for. Everyone back into Track One! Let's move!"

"Clyde…" She whispered softly. "Please be okay. Please…"

_**A/N: Well? Didn't I say something would happen to Clyde? Did I lie? Oh, and don't think he's out of the woods just yet. Mwa-HahahahAHahahahAHaha!!**_


	23. Homecoming

**XXII**

The room shook violently, causing several wires to bust and spark all over the place. The rhythmic pounding outside was echoing within and surrounded the scared little boy, who was curled up on the floor with his eyes closed and his thoughts elsewhere. Moments later, he found himself hurrying through a cloud of smoke and down a metal maze that was impossible to solve. Every turn and every corner only seemed to get him even more lost until finally, he saw the ladder just standing there. Desperate for a way out, he followed his instincts as well as the ladder and found his way to the top.

There was one more problem facing him. The exit was sealed off. He was trapped and he was afraid to find out what horrors awaited him down below. He pounded and pounded against the metal in hopes that someone would find him but instead he found another glimmer of hope. His hands ran along the metal wheel and when he got a good grip on it, he turned it to the right. As the top opened, he was greeted with the cool and refreshing taste of the rain and climbed his way out.

He was lost and he was scared. He didn't know where he was or what had just happened. The blood from the bump on his head began to wash away and with it, the boy's memories. He saw a light shining at the end of the street and ran towards it. After what seemed like a lifetime of running in the rain, he found himself leaning over the steps of an old building. When the doors opened, the women in black and white looked down on the young boy, who was injured and out of breath. They took him in and treated him well from that point on.

He only knew his name. Nothing more. "Berto." was all he would say. "My name is Berto." The nuns in the orphanage didn't know what to make of it. A year went by and a wealthy yet rowdy, if not loving, family adopted him and taught him the family code of honor: Rottenness is happiness. He learned how to be mean, nasty, sneaky and all around rotten. Laziness was key to it all. He went to school, was interested in the arts rather than sports, was unlucky with women for most of his life then made a fortune of his own inventing new and interesting devices.

But now, as he stood once again in the middle of the nursery, he still couldn't remember what happened before all of that. He placed a hand on the crib and gave the little carousel a spin then picked up the stuffed bear that was tucked in between the blankets. Nothing. Just a blank.

"Why can't I remember?" He muttered under his breath. "Why? What was so terrible that I had to forget my past life here?"

"Look within yourself." Jezelle sat on one of the rocking chairs. "Think back, Berto. Please try."

In Robbie's other hand was his journal, where he recorded every dream and nightmare he had since his adoption. He picked it up and flipped through the pages but still couldn't find anything that would help jog his memory.

"There's nothing in here." He closed the book. "This book's done it all, really. It helped me get through a few rough patches in my life, reminded me that I had a kind and loving foster family and… huh. It even helped me get with Rottenella."

"Berto…"

He chuckled. "So what if I can't remember? Who cares? You're still my mother. I'm still your son. And I'm still a friggin' prince! Whoo-hoo!"

"But that's not enough, is it?"

"…No." He sighed. "There's so much of my past that's missing I just can't ignore it. Don't you have anything that could help me? A machine of some sort? A drug, maybe?"

"It's possible. Claudette was working on a memory scavenger not too long ago. I'm unsure as to what happened with that project but I'll be sure to ask her."

"Thanks."

She nodded with a smile. "So where will you have the wedding?"

"I'm not sure yet. She wants something simple. Not too big, not too small. Just right."

"And you're willing to give it to her?"

"I'd give her the world if I could."

"She really does mean a lot to you, doesn't she?"

"Yeah."

"If only your brother could see what was right in front of him, then I'm sure he'd be as happy as you are."

"Wait a minute, are you trying to say Sportakook isn't happy?"

"In a sense, no. Despite the somewhat superiority you believe he has over you, he lacks the one thing you have."

"You mean someone to love?" His eyes then shifted. "Wait, you think Sportadorka's in love with someone and is _miserable_ without her!? Who is it!?"

--

"I don't think this is such a good idea." Helmina worried aloud as she followed her friend along the hallway. "If her majesty finds us, she'll… actually, I don't know what she'll do. She's never been one to throw a temper, to tell you the truth."

"So what have you got to worry about?" She asked as she stopped at the corner.

"Rottenella, you realize there's no light on the other side of this wing, don't you?"

"Yeah? So?"

"There's a reason for that!"

"Look, I heard something coming from there the other day before that creepy old lady jumped me!"

"You were jumped by an old lady?"

"Well not jumped but she kind of startled me."

"Really? How?"

"She started putting her hands all around me like she hadn't seen me in years. She kept calling me Desirée, too."

"Desirée?"

"Yeah. Ever heard of anyone by that name?"

"No. But what of the old woman? Who was she?"

"I think I heard Ozzy call her Ms. LaFleur."

"Sophia LaFleur? The doll maker?"

"Doll maker? You know her?"

"Yes. She's an old friend to the royal family."

"Weird. Well come on then. Let's see what surprises lurk on the dark side…"

"Do we have to?"

"Well _you _don't. Run along if you want. Just remember that Ozymandias is watching Gloria and Ritchie and I hear he's _desperate_ for some assistance!"

"Lead the way." She gulped.

When they turned the corner, there were cell doors lined up against the wall and a single light shining down in the center of the floor. They could hear soft voices murmuring within the locked doors, scratching in some and even a light banging coming from the distance. Helmina placed her arm around Rottenella's and slowly walked with her down the mangy old wing of the castle.

"It's a cell block." The raven-haired beauty said. "But why is it here? Why not place it alone in another tower?"

"I don't know. The king and queen like to keep a close eye on things. They want to be around the danger so they can stop it before it spreads."

"It doesn't look like these guys are going anywhere."

Their eyes gazed around the dirty walls and the rusty chamber doors when they noticed a few lights flickering from within a long window. They approached the cell and saw a tall man, extremely well-built like no other and sporting a pair of metallic shackles on his feet and wrists that looked like they could weigh at least 100 pounds each.

"You ladies seem lost." He said in a deep voice, a grin forming between his thin black beard. "Come to watch the animals, have you?"

"N-no, we were just passing through." Helmina gulped.

"Sure you were."

"So what are _you_ in for?" A non-threatened Rottenella smirked.

"Lots of things."

"Like what?"

"Well for starters, I ripped out a guy's jaw with my bare hands after we had an argument. I ripped another man's eyes out just because he looked at me funny. And this one woman, I took a knife and--"

"Okay, I get the idea."

"You shouldn't have asked."

"So what do they call you?"

"Tombstone."

"Right." She nodded before tapping the glass. "Well it's a good thing you're locked up in there all safe and sound from us mean and vicious lady-types."

"Heh…" He grunted as he watched the walk away. "Don't be a stranger now!"

The two women turned back around and returned to their original path. As they made it to the stairs, Rottenella rushed down with a confused Helmina in pursuit.

"Where are you going?"

"I've got to find this LaFleur lady!"

"Why?"

She stopped in place. "…I don't know. She just seems so… _lonely_."

"You want to see her because she's lonely?"

"Isn't that a good enough reason?"

"Well yes but…"

"Plus, I want to get to the bottom of this whole 'Desirée' business."

"If that's what you want, then I suppose I could go with you."

"You know where she lives?"

"Within the village."

"Then let's get our butts over there!"

--

They loaded Clyde onto a gurney and rushed him through to the medical wing of the palace. There the doctors and nurses worked hard and fast to repair the damage that had been done to Clyde's head. The wound was big and his brain was their main priority above all. In another part of the room, the away team was being treated for minor injuries but Stephanie refused to seek any medical attention.

"I want to see him now!" She demanded.

"Ma'am, please! You'll have to wait!" The nurse stood in her way. "The doctors are in there right now working on him! You have to be patient!"

"Stephanie." Sportacus came up from behind with his arms wrapped around her. "Just relax. They know what they're doing."

"But Sportacus…" She started to cry. "I'm afraid… I'm… I'm just afraid of what might happen…"

"Me too, Stephanie. We're all afraid." He turned her around and wiped the tears from her eyes. "But you have to have faith."

Following another group of medics, Claudette entered the infirmary and took out a small pen-like device and walked over to Ziggy, who had a scratch on his arm.

"Hello, Ziggy." She said as she switched a light on the device. "Are you in any pain?"

"Uh, not really. But this scratch is kind of annoying."

"Not to worry."

She ran the light along Ziggy's torn flesh and within an instant, the cut was sealed off and the blood was all that remained. She took a damp cloth and removed the patch of blood on his arm and grinned at the boy's starry-eyed expression.

"WOW!" He exclaimed. "How did you do that!?"

"Just a little something I've been working on." She then noticed Pixel leaning against Ziggy's chair. "All right, Pixel…"

"Yeah?"

"Let me go ahead and take care of you."

"Sure thing. You want me to take my shirt off?"

"Nice try." And with that, she sprayed his wound with an alcoholic substance rather than using her new device.

"OW!" He hollered before giggling. "Oh, yeah baby! You know I like it rough! C'mon! Do it again!"

"You…" She couldn't help but chuckle despite her frustration with him. "…Just stay where you are."

Hours had passed and Clyde was now in stable condition. The doctors managed to stop the blood flow and were able to save his brain. They stitched up the side of his head and wrapped it in bandages before allowing anyone to come see him. As he laid there in bed, his eyes closed and his breathing slowly being regulated, Stephanie sat in a chair next to him and kept her hand on his.

"Clyde…" She whispered. "Sweetie, can you hear me?"

There was only the sound of his soft breathing. She could feel his pulse go by slowly and leaned in against his chest to hear his heartbeat. All good signs but not enough to comfort her.

"You'll be okay…" She reassured herself. "You'll be okay, I know it. Y-you'll be up and running again in no time and… oh, please… just don't leave me… I need you, Clyde. I need you. I can't stand the thought of losing you. You're my--"

"WHEEL! OF! FORTUNE!"

"What!?" Stephanie turned around to see Ziggy looking up at the television screen as he held the remote. "Ziggy! Turn that crap off!"

"Huh? What?" He turned and faced a furious Stephanie. "Oh, hey! When did you get in here? Did you know every room has its own TV!? Isn't it cool!?"

"Ziggy, you little--"

As she pounced on him to give him the thrashing of a lifetime, the remote flung into the air and landed right beside Clyde. Then in a strange act of fate, Clyde's hand fell from his chest and onto the remote, where only one button remained pressed, keeping the channels in a repetitive loop. The sounds of Stephanie beating the crap out of Ziggy were somewhat being drowned by the half second audio bytes coming from the television's waves.

Seconds later, the unthinkable happened. Clyde opened his eyes and sat up in his bed with his head tilted to the left and a vacant expression on his face. When Stephanie noticed this, she immediately released Ziggy from his headlock and stood up with joy.

"Clyde! You're okay!"

"…"

"Clyde? Clyde, speak to me! Say something!"

"…_Good evening, Clarice_."


	24. Hey Mon! pt 2

_**A/N: What!? Another chapter!? Okay, then! I swear it's like I got idea diarrhea or something! …Eww.**_

**XXIII**

"What…"

"…The hell…"

"…Happened!?"

Stingy, Trixie and Pixel were shocked to find Clyde rocking back and forth on a wooden pony inside the old nursery while Stephanie, Sportacus, Hallbjörn and Jezelle stood watch. Pixel noticed the white bandage wrapped around Clyde's cranium and studied the young man's vacant expression as he gurgled, hooted and hollered. With a quick once-over using his wristband, the Gizmo Guy sighed and bowed his head down.

"No…" He groaned. "You mean to tell me his multiple personality whosafudge is back again!?"

"Yup." An exhausted Stephanie nodded. "We've been trying to calm him down all day but he's been at it for hours."

"I've never seen it this bad before." Sportacus commented. "There doesn't appear to be any signs of stopping."

"I bet that bump on the head is what triggered it." Trixie concluded.

"WHOOOOO-WHEEEEEEE!" Hollered the maniacal Clyde as he continued rocking on the wooden horse. "I gotta save them critters afore their treehouse burns to the ground! C'mon, Lightning! Giddyup!"

After a few moments, Clyde switched personalities again and began slithering along the ground like a snake, sticking his tongue out for effect. That only lasted a second when he noticed the old toy chest hidden in the corner. He rushed over to it and opened the top hatch, digging through the contents like a miser in a goldmine.

"He found the toy chest." Hal chuckled. "Dear me, I haven't seen him this playful since he was just a boy."

"Focus, Hal." Jezelle changed the subject. "He can't go on like this. We need to calm him down and suppress the voices in his head before he does something he'll regret."

"Like what?"

"Like--"

"HIKEEBA!" He tossed a wad of slimy green goop at his grandmother and chuckled like a little kid.

"…Like that." Jezelle frowned as she removed the green slime from her face.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Pixel asked.

"Not yet, Pixel. I'll have Claudette look at him first before we make any rash decisions."

"What are you going to do to him?" Stephanie immediately took to the defensive. "You're not going to hurt him, are you?"

"He's our grandson, of course not!"

Clyde then snuck up in between Trixie and Stingy with a toy shark in his hand and began making barking noises much to their confusion.

"_Woof! Arf! Arf!" _

"Clyde, man…" Stingy chuckled nervously. "That's a shark. Sharks don't--"

_"Meow!" _

"No, no. C'mon. Think about it. You know this. Sharks go… well come to think of it, sharks really don't make _any_ noise, do they?"

Clyde just looked at his friend blankly for several seconds until, "You're boring."

"I'm what!?"

Clyde hurried back over to the toy chest and dug into it some more while the adults huddled together and watched.

"We can't just keep him in here all day." Sportacus whispered. "He needs to get out."

"I know but we can't risk him endangering the others." Hal nodded.

"How is he going to do that?"

"Hey, look!" Clyde exclaimed. "A cattle prod! Ooh! Ooh! Let's play 'slaughterhouse'! Uncle Sporty! Uncle Sporty!"

Clyde stuck his head deeper into the box and shrieked once again when he found something new. He pulled out a red, green and yellow Rastafarian cap complete with thick black dreadlocks and put it on his head. He turned to his audience with a big grin and waved.

"Clyde?" Stephanie gulped. "Sweetie?"

"Hey mon!" He responded with a thick Jamaican accent. "What you be doin' standin' dere like dat!? Granma! Granpa! You quit bein' shy now and come ovah here to play wit me!"

"Holy crap." Pixel's eyes widened. "That's scary."

"Pixel! Me main man! Gimme five now or I'll hose ya!" He high-fived him before turning his attention to Trixie and Stingy. "Well look at _you_, bein' all purty and such! Stingy, you a lucky boy! You know dat!?"

"Yeah…" Stingy rolled his eyes. "_Real _lucky."

"What was that?" Trixie looked at him funny.

"Huh? Nothing."

"Uncle Sporty! How come ya didn't tell me we's be havin' company ovah? Look at me, I'm such a mess wit me dreadlocks hangin' about de place!" He gasped at the sight of Stephanie. "Stephanie, me Caribbean Queen! Come ovah here and gimme a kiss!"

He put his arms around her, spun her around a bit and dipped her before finally placing his lips over hers. When they parted, he looked up to the heavens with a twinkle in his eye and held up a fist.

"Ooooh, now _that's_ good lip action!" His voice was now a high-pitched squeal as he ditched the wig.

"C-Clyde…" A flustered Stephanie grinned. "What's gotten into you?"

--

The two women journeyed into the small village, where Rottenella was pleased to find that she was greeted with open arms and kind hearts wherever they went. The villagers were dressed well, clean and well-nourished. There were no signs of oppression, no cruel guards to put them down and all the unique buildings and landscapes were in extremely good condition.

As they walked by the outdoor market, a young boy approached Rottenella and handed her an apple. She smiled and thanked him as she went along her way.

"Wow." She finally said. "And I thought all kingdoms were suppose to rule in tyranny and oppression. It's _nothing_ like the storybooks I read. Though to be fair, they were all _Robbie's_ books. Not a single happy ending in that collection, I can tell you."

"Yes." Helmina chuckled. "The king and queen are beloved throughout the kingdom. Word of their kindness has even reached as far as your realm."

"Our realm?"

"Don't tell me you thought that was just some random rainstorm we crashed through."

"Huh?"

"It's a gateway from your world to ours. Only a native from this land can summon it."

"A gateway?"

"We share the same planet only different… shall we say, _territories_?"

"But we're still in Iceland, right?"

"Of course. They are aware of our existence as we are aware of theirs."

"Huh." As they walked up hill, she looked back and noticed a group of children playing across the field and smiled. "Amazing. But you have such advanced technology. Why live like you're in the middle ages?"

"On the outside we may appear primitive. But in truth, we're quite adaptive to modern culture and science, sometimes even setting the bar. However, most of us prefer to keep things simple and leave all the technological studies to those who would find it more interesting."

"Oh." She noticed Helmina standing outside a small log cabin. "Is this it? Are we here?"

"Yes." She nodded. "Let's knock first to make sure she's home."

"Really? Because I thought we'd go in wearing ski masks and guns blazing."

"What?"

She giggled. "That's just a joke."

"Oh." She smiled. "I can see Robbie has certainly had an effect on you."

Helmina slowly walked on the porch and gently gave the front door a tap. After a moment, the door creaked open to reveal the old woman looking out with her eyes squinted. Rottenella waved at her with a lump forming in her throat.

"Who is it?" She asked. "Who's there?"

"It's Helmina, Ms. LaFleur."

"Helmina?" She grinned. "Is that you?"

"Yes. I brought a friend with me. I hope you don't mind but she has some questions she'd like to ask you."

"Yes, of course. Please come in."

They followed her into the cabin and the first thing Rottenella noticed when she walked in was the huge assortment of dolls and toys decorating every nook and cranny within the house. There were clocks ticking along the stairway, antique dummies and puppets locked within glass cabinets and in the kitchen was a fresh pot of tea ready to be served.

"Please have a seat. I'll bring us some tea and cookies."

"Would you like some help, Ms--"

"Nonsense, Helmina. Just relax."

After a few minutes, the old woman set out a tray on top of the coffee table and took a quick glance at Rottenella. Her face then turned pale and her heart began to race much to the young woman's concern.

"Oh no. Ms. LaFleur?" Rottenella stood up. "Are you okay?"

"I'm…" She paused. "I'm fine…. I remember you."

"Yes." She nodded. "You called me Desirée."

"So I did."

"Do you mind telling me who she is?"

"Was."

"Who she _was_?" She corrected herself.

"Desirée… was my daughter."

--

Stephanie, Sportacus and the king and queen, having spent the last hour getting Clyde to settle down, sat around the study room for a quick rest when Ozymandias arrived. Gloria and Ritchie weren't far behind.

"I heard you had trouble with the prince?"

"You could say that." Hal then noticed something odd about his major. "Ozzy?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Are you…" He squinted for a better look. "…Are you wearing eyeliner?"

"Uhh…" He froze in place for a moment then, "…Yes?"

"Why in God's name would you do such a thing?"

"Huh? Oh! Uhh…" He chuckled nervously. "Well as you know, I spent the whole day with these… loveable little tykes and, uhh… well little Gloria got bored and decided to practice putting makeup on by using me as her dummy! Ha ha! Isn't that right, Gloria?"

"What!? No, it's--"

He placed a hand over her mouth and gave the king a reassuring smile. "Ha ha! See? Kids today, ha ha!"

Gloria squirmed. "But you said you wanted me to--"

"Keep practicing!" He chuckled some more before he leaned next to her and whispered in her ear, "Because there's a huge bowl of ice cream in it for you if you do…"

Her face lit up. "Yeah! Anyways, like Ozzy was saying… I _totally_ wanted to doll him up for me to show off! What do you think?"

"It looks, uhh…" Hal took a glance at his assistant and cleared his throat. "…It looks great, Gloria."

"Thanks, king!"

"Thank you, sir!"

"Shut up, Ozzy."

"Yes, sir!"

"So, Stephanie…" Jezelle started. "You have all the amulets now. What next?"

"I don't know." She leaned back against the sofa. "I suppose I…"

"You destroy them." A voice suddenly emerged.

"Astral?"

The old man entered the room with Demetrius and Amelie behind him and took a seat next to the pink-haired girl.

"Stephanie, my dear… your next step is to destroy the amulets."


	25. Curse Of The Shadow Dragon

_**A/N: Parties suck! Small towns suck! Having a brother-in-law sucks! Everything sucks! Here! Take this chapter and hit me over the head with it! PLEASE! You'll be doing me a favor! **_

**XXIV**

_He stood there in the king's study room, waiting anxiously for his big moment to shake hands with the king himself. His eyes wandered around examining every book in his library, admiring the family portraits that were so lovingly put on display, and appreciating the fine artwork that had been created by many of the village's ambitious young artists. Finally, he heard the door open and he turned around to face the king with a smile and an outstretched hand. _

"_King Hallbjörn." He gladly shook the man's hand. "It's an honor to finally meet you up close, sir."_

"You as well." He grinned. "It's not everyday I get to assign a new representative for our kingdom."

"Representative, sir?" 

"_Of course. Why did you think I asked you to come here today?" _

"_Well, I…" He paused for a moment, almost embarrassed. "To be honest, sir, I don't know." _

"_You exceeded your teacher's expectations at the academy, you were at the top of your class, you've reached the pinnacle of human fitness, and you've displayed great achievements in the fields of both magic and science. Not an easy task, let me assure you. You are without a doubt the most qualified student to head out there and make our kingdom proud."_

"I… I don't know what to say, really."

"Say you'll accept the position."

"But surely there are others who…"

"_Don't be so modest. I know you've been waiting for this moment for a very long time. Now it has finally arrived. Are you really going to turn it down?"_

"No, of course not." He chuckled. "It's just that I'm so overwhelmed and honored, your highness." 

"_So you will accept the offer?"_

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

"You realize, of course, that you will be the ninth individual to carry on the mantle of representative of Aðalsteinn?"

"_I do, sir. And I don't intend on letting you or my predecessors down."_

"_Good. That's what I want to hear." _

_The king turned around and walked out of the room and into the main halls with the newly appointed "Number 9" following close behind. As they passed several guardsmen and handmaidens, they spoke of the king's plans for all of Aðalsteinn._

"_You'll be doing things a bit differently, mind you."_

"How so, sir?"

"For one thing, I will provide you with a new means of transportation."

"An airship, sir?"

"Not just any airship. A new kind of airship with several technological breakthroughs. Some of which have been based around your ideas." 

"_Really, sir? My ideas?"_

"The NX-class airships are intended to be the first steps into a new world of scientific achievement. Your ship will be the first to actually leave the kingdom."

"You mean I'll be piloting the prototype?"

"If you want. We have now added the option of voice commands that will enable the ship to fly itself to your destination." 

"_Amazing."_

"This is only the beginning."

_The two men walked down the stairs and entered the laboratory, where they saw a team of welders sitting around a welding rack and putting together a crude-looking hull. The young man shielded his eyes from the intense light of the sparks and followed his king over to another room. They entered a glass room, where Ozymandias was sitting at a desk, placing the finishing touches on the king's greatest experiment. _

_  
"Hello Ozzy." _

"_My lord." He waved. _

"_Is it ready?"_

"Just about. I'm now finishing the protective shell."

"What is he working on, sir?" The young man asked as Ozzy tossed the object over to the king.

"_This, Number Nine, is another breakthrough. With the help of my friends in Mutari, I have been able to cast a magic spell that will enable this crystal to inform you of any dangers that may be occurring wherever you may be. The crystal, however, cannot work alone. It needs a conscience to help guide it to the right place. When you wear this crystal, you become one with it. When there is danger afoot, you will be alerted and with your special bond, you will know exactly where to go and who it is that needs saving. Do you understand?"_

"_I think so." He awed at the crystal that was now being handed to him. "But how is this possible?"_

"Magic." He grinned. "You of all people should understand that, yes?"

"I suppose so." 

"_Well good. You debriefing is over. I'll speak with you again first thing tomorrow morning."_

"Yes, sir. And thank you again." He shook the man's hand eagerly. 

"_My pleasure, Remus."_

_---_

_She was sitting on the chair, gently rocking back and forth and knitting something special as her two sons played with their toys in the nursery. Berto, now three years old, and his younger brother Jon, barely two, were enjoying each other's company when their father entered with his arms spread out. _

"_Where are my boys!?"_

"Daddy!" Berto cried as he ran into the man's arms. 

_Little Jon stumbled over his building blocks and laughed, trotting the rest of the way over to his father. Jezelle smiled at her men as she slowly lifted herself up from the chair, revealing the huge bump that was now forming within her. _

"_Careful, my dear." Hal helped his wife over to him. "I would have come to you eventually."_

"Are you kidding? My butt's been sore from sitting on that thing all day." She joked as she kissed him on the lips. "So how did it go with young Remus?"

"He accepted the offer, naturally. I don't think I've ever met a man more deserving of the position." 

"_That's good to hear. Did you thank Tarkin for his help?"_

"Not yet, no. I'll be visiting him in person tomorrow. Will you manage without me?"

"One day without you? I think I'll manage." She looked down at her boys, who were clinging to her legs. "Besides, I've got these strapping young gentlemen to look after me."

"_And we've got one more on the way." He kissed her forehead. "How did we ever get so lucky?" _

"_Luck…" She sighed and turned away from her husband. "… I don't know, Hal. Sometimes I think it isn't fair to keep bringing in all these children into this world. Our world." _

"_Why not?"_

"You know why." 

"_Darling, I've never given it any thought. Our children will grow up and live normal lives just like we had planned."_

"There's nothing normal about living with a curse, Hal." She looked back at him. "Yes, they will grow up but that's where it'll stop. They'll begin to suspect things and--"

"They will learn the truth eventually." 

"_But will we be ready to tell them?"_

"What's there to tell?"

"Hal, they wouldn't understand. I don't even understand it myself." 

"_It's all in the past, my dear. Somehow we'll just have to fit it into our future and theirs." He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her again. "Curse or no curse, we will get through this."_

_---_

"He mentioned something called the Blackheart. What is it?"

"The source of the curse."

"What curse?"

"The curse that has plagued our kingdom for generations. My ancestors and their ancestors before them tried so hard to keep Aðalsteinn as peaceful and benevolent as it could possibly be. But there were those who didn't always see eye to eye with the king and his principles."

"What do you mean?"

"They thought peace and equality were signs of weakness and that power--_true power_, could only be achieved by means of brute force and relentless hostility and violence. Rebels who opposed my forefathers and their government formed a powerful organization known as The Shadow Dragon."

"The Shadow Dragon?"

"They were a band of ruthless assassins, warriors and soldiers who practiced the dark arts and spent their days trying to bring down the walls of our civilization."

"What happened to them?"

"After years at war, the king rallied his troops together and waged a final battle against the Shadow Dragon and their leader, Victor LaSalle. Needless to say, our people won. But not without a price to pay."

"The curse?"

"Yes. The Blackheart was a book that provided The Shadow Dragon with all their chants and incantations that allowed them to fight the way they did. When my ancestor opened up a vortex and imprisoned them in an alternate dimension, never to see the light of day again, LaSalle attempted to use the Blackheart to curse Aðalsteinn with a death by an infectious plague. But an immediate interference by one of the Aðalsteinn guards forced LaSalle to read the wrong inscription and instead curse us with eternal youth. From that day on, the passage of time was forever eradicated from our lives."

"Well that certainly explains a lot. Where's the Blackheart now?"

"Safely hidden from prying eyes."

Stephanie nodded and stood up from her seat and slowly moved her hands through her bright pink locks. She stared out across the room and thought to herself for a moment while Hallbjörn studied her confused expressions.

"Something's troubling you?"

"You mean _besides_ my crazy boyfriend, a murderous sorcerer and all this talk about a curse and destroying the amulets?" She then turned to her old friend. "Astral, why in God's name do I have to destroy the amulets?"

"Believe me, Stephanie." The old man stood up. "You don't want to hang on to them for long. They do things to people."

"I know they corrupted you and Remus, Astral. But I don't think I could ever fall into that same trap."

"Don't be so sure, Stephanie. The worst things happen to the best of us."

"Father." Sportacus spoke up. "Can we use the Blackheart to our advantage?"

"I don't see how." He shook his head. "The book is evil in many ways. That's probably why Reiko is after it."

"But he hasn't come for it yet. He hasn't even tried."

"He will." Stephanie chimed in. "And when he does, we won't even see it coming."


	26. Questions And Answers

**XXV**

"Desirée was the light of my life. She was an absolute joy. So young and so very beautiful. She looked just like me when I was at that age."

"What was she like?"

"Sweet and very kind. Warm and passionate. But she was also very frail and naïve around those who couldn't be trusted."

"What happened to her?"

"A guardsman took her from me."

"You mean one of the _royal _guardsmen?"

The old woman nodded as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I never trusted him from the start. But they were all so very fond of him. They thought he would be next in line to represent our kingdom."

"But?"

"But someone else took that which he coveted the most. He broke ranks and opposed the king and queen. He demanded he be given the opportunity to carry on the mantle as Number 9 but they--"

"Number 9?"

She nodded. "But they, the king and queen, refused to give in to his demands. I sent my lovely Desirée into town to showcase my latest creation."

"What creation?"

The old woman pointed across the room at the glass case, which held a doll that eerily resembled an intrigued Rottenella. Right to the black hair and purple outfit she was wearing, the doll was a perfect match.

"Then what happened?"

"He lured her in. His home was along the way, standing tall on the grassy hill beneath the willow tree. It was well hidden from prying eyes." She paused for a moment to catch her breath and struggled to finish the rest of her story. "He had become a disgrace to his fellow officers and a drunk. A _violent_ drunk to be exact. He…"

Rottenella moved from her seat and sat next to the old woman, putting a comforting hand over hers. "…He what?"

"Rottenella, maybe she doesn't want to finish the story. Perhaps we should come back and--"

"He raped and murdered my daughter." The old woman interrupted.

"Dear God." Helmina gasped and exchanged glances with Rottenella.

"You don't remember any of this?"

She shook her head. "No. I guess this must have happened before I was born."

"Ms. LaFleur…" She squeezed the old woman's hand. "I'm terribly sorry for your loss."

"The dolls you made… and all the toys…"

"From that day on, everything I made would resemble my dear sweet daughter. The dolls, the puppets… even the clothing I knitted."

"Even…" The young ebon-haired woman gulped. "…Even the music boxes?"

"_Especially_ the music boxes." LaFleur sighed. "My Desirée loved music. And she danced like an angel. She loved dancing and music more than anything."

"Crap." She gulped again.

The old woman then stood up and stared at her guest suspiciously. "Who are you? Why have you come to haunt me!?"

"Ms. LaFleur, please!" Helmina stood up in her friend's defense. "We only wanted to talk! We mean you no harm! We just--"

"Leave now!" She yelled.

"But--"

"I said leave!"

"Ms. LaFleur, wait…" Rottenella faced the old woman sincerely and looked deep into her eyes. "I think I know why I came back the way I am now."

"What are you talking about?"

"I wasn't always the way you see me now."

"How is that?"

"I wasn't human."

"What?"

"Robbie, my fiancé, animated me and… well to make a long story short, he made me human. He gave me a heart. But… in some weird way… I'd say you gave me a soul."

"I did?"

"I can't quite explain it but… because of the effort you put into all your toys, the love you had for your daughter sort of _transferred_ into them. It transferred into me, that's for sure. Look, I know it sounds crazy and just plain dumb but that's how I really feel."

"Rottenella…" Helmina pulled the young woman aside. "What are you smoking!?"

"What?"

"You just don't go into old people's homes and say, _'Hey! I used to be a toy that looked like your daughter!' _Why would you say that to her?"

"Because it's true."

"No, it isn't."

"It is."

The old woman placed her hands on the dancer's face and studied her expression. "My God, you _are_ the spitting image my daughter… my dear sweet Desirée…"

She hesitated for a moment but could see the tear of joy sparkling in the old woman's eye then finally took her in her arms. "I'm here now… _mom_."

---

Robbie sat down as several wires connected to his forehead fed on his thoughts and processed them into a machine Claudette was studying. She looked back and forth from her notes to the computer screen while Robbie yawned and rolled his eyes.

"So!" He finally said as he clapped his hands. "What's it say? Anything? Does it say why I suddenly found myself in a room full of penguins, drenched to the bone?"

"There's nothing about the orphanage here, Berto."

"No? Pity. How about my fixation on underground lairs and anything else that's covered in dust and cobwebs? Does it mention anything about that?"

"No."

"Does it say where I got my ability to create such wonderful inventions? No, wait. I got that in college! Sorry."

"Berto, the machine really doesn't say anything. I'm just studying your brain patterns and… well, here. Take a look."

"Hmm?"

She unplugged the suction cups from Robbie's forehead and led him to the computer screen. The layout of the interior of Robbie's brain was mostly highlighted with blue lights but the area Claudette was pointing at was red.

"Hey, nice!" Robbie smirked. "I didn't know parts of my brain had red states! I always knew I had a little republican in me!"

"No…" She shook her head. "The red indicates a part of your brain that's suppressing certain memories from your life."

"It can do that?"

"So far as I know, yeah."

"Wow." He looked at another screen which displayed someone else's brain patterns. "Whose brain is that?"

Suddenly, Clyde came flopping across the floor on his belly making fish faces and squishy noises with his mouth while a few men in white coats tried to pick him up. The young man squirmed from their grasp and began walking around like a puppet, dangling his head and limbs as such.

"Clyde, you have to sit back down." Claudette ordered.

"I'm sorry but I can't hear you. I'm a puppet. We have no ears."

"Then what's this?" She grabbed the boy's ear and began twisting much to his annoyance.

"OWW!" He wailed before imitating the sound of an inured orca.

"Clyde, cut it out!"

"Cut what out!?" He then noticed the computer screen with his brain patterns. "Hey, cool! TV!"

For some strange reason, the screen suddenly fizzed for a moment before switching over to footage of an old Godzilla movie.

"What happened?" Robbie asked.

"I have no idea." Claudette stood there stupefied. "I just… oh, God."

"Honey, I'm home!" Pixel walked in with a smile before noticing Robbie and Clyde standing next to her. "Visitors!? Well okay! You can watch but you can't touch!"

Before he could give her a hug, Claudette held her hand back and shoved the boy away. "I don't think so, Gizmo Guy."

"What are they doing here?"

"The queen asked me to scan Berto's brain for any signs of amnesia, which may be the reason why he can't remember anything from his past here."

"And Clyde?"

They both turned around to see Clyde sucking on the television screen, leaving a huge trail of drool and making squealing noises to match the giant lizard's.

"I think it would be safe if we kept Clyde here overnight. Berto, you can go if you want."

"All right!" He waved as he walked on by. "Let me know if you find anything!"

"Sure."

"Well…" Pixel raised his eyebrows. "…Looks like it's just you and me, baby doll."

With a straight face she pointed at Clyde, who was now wearing a medical glove as a hat and blowing into another like a balloon.

"Oh." Pixel frowned. "I see what you mean."

"What did you come here for?"

"Nothing, really. I just wanted to see if you needed some help."

"I don't."

"You sure."

"Positive."

"Well, okay…" He turned to leave before he remembered why he really came down in the first place. "Wait, _now_ I remember why I came!"

"What is it?"

"The spiders."

"Spiders?"

"In that cave today. What are they doing there?"

"Spiders live in all sorts of places, Pixel. Surely you knew that."

"Yeah but I've never seen spiders like these before. Giant bloodsucking tarantulas with fangs as big as lamppost."

"You're kidding." Her eyes widened. "There's no way that…"

"Oh, I couldn't make this up if I tried. It's like something out of a horror movie."

"The tarantulas…" She gulped as she hurried over to a table and began flipping through several books. "…Was there a dominant one? A queen, perhaps?"

"Yeah."

"Project Morlock?" She said aloud.

"Project what?"

"Take a look at this." She opened a book and handed it over to Pixel.

"Holy crap…" He studied the contents. "Animal mutation? But why?"

"It's something a team of scientists were working on before I became head of the division. They wanted to enlarge certain animals and mutate them to use as cannon fodder."

"Really? That's, uhh… that's kind of lame."

"Oh, it gets worse."

"Oh yeah?"

"There were even talks of splicing human and animal DNA together to create some sort of 'super-soldier' army."

"Whoa."

"Apparently there was only one successful trial and the others either died or came out deformed. The project was scrapped immediately when King Hallbjörn realized its lack of moral ethics."

"Man, you guys will study anything, won't you?"

"It wasn't exactly the brightest chapter of our kingdom, to say the least."

"So, wait…" He paused to reflect for a moment. "Did you know those tarantulas would be crawling around that cave?"

"No."

"Did you even know they existed?"

"No. Like I said, the project was scrapped. At least, those were the orders I gave once I became head of the science division."

"Huh." Pixel thought to himself again.

"What is it?"

"…Nothing."

"Tell me."

"Well… I just have this weird feeling in my gut that maybe somebody wasn't exactly keen on following your orders."

"What do you mean? Are you saying somebody went behind my back and restarted the program?"

"I don't know."

"But why would you think that?"

"Something about the way Sportacus was acting."

"How do you mean?"

"Well the guy usually knows when something is up and he doesn't always need his crystal to remind him."

"Yes but I hardly think somebody went behind my back and mutated an entire army of tarantulas."

"Then how did they get there?"

"They could have been left over by a previous experiment before the plug was pulled."

Pixel nodded and shrugged, finally withdrawing his suspicion. "Yeah… yeah, I guess you're right."

"I know I'm right."

"Yeah." He grinned. "So… you wanna make out or--"

"No."

---

Hal and Jezelle walked along the courtyard with their son in tow while the group of men in blue and white cloaks were heading their way. With a gasp, Hal immediately turned around to flee but the religious leader stopped him in his tracks with a cheerful greeting.

"My Lord!" He, along with his followers, bowed. "Hail King Hallbjörn!"

"HAIL!" The hooded men shouted.

"Uhh…Th-thank you." The king stuttered. "H-how are you t-today?"

"Me, Lord? I'm fine! Absolutely fine! The day of Zül is coming, you know! And when he arrives, will you be there with us to praise his good name?"

"…Listen to me, you demented fool. You're worshipping a whale."

"Yes?"

"…Don't you find that a bit odd?"

"Do you find it odd that other religions worship several beast-like deities? Or that some follow an entire list of beliefs that clearly states that existence is suffering? Or that many in this world follow the words and teachings of a hippy?"

"I, uhh… well…"

"So why not a whale?"

"…Uhh… I see your point. It's just…"

"He's not just a whale, you know! He can take any form he chooses!"

"Oh, really?" He grimaced.

"Hal…" Jezelle cleared her throat.

"Well we should be going! Things to do, people to meet! King stuff, you know?"

"Of course, my Lord!" The leader stepped aside and bowed. "Forgive me! I didn't mean to delay you!"

"Thanks, pal."

"Sir!" Ozymandias suddenly appeared.

"Good God, what now!?" The king grunted.

"Sir, I just finished handing the invitations out."

"Oh, good." He then paused. "Invitations to what?"

"Your gala tomorrow evening."

"What gala?"

"The one you had been planning for weeks, remember?"

"What?"

"Hal!" Jezelle gasped. "Dear me, I forgot to tell you!"

"Tell me what!? I'm the god-damn king and no one ever tells me anything around here!" He shouted. "What gala!?"

"In honor of our sons' return and for Stephanie finally collecting the amulets."

"What… but…" He stammered. "WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT!!!"

"Dad?" Sportacus stepped forward. "I know you're under a lot of pressure right now with the kingdom under high alert. But maybe a party wouldn't be so bad. It'll give us a chance to relax and catch our breaths for a while and… _reconcile with loved ones_."


	27. Last Good Time In Town

_**A/N: It just wouldn't be LazyTown without a musical number, now would it? The result is what happens after babysitting a bunch of kids while watching "Enchanted" in a continuous loop and having the radio on unattended in the next room. **_

**XXVI**

Inside the music room, a frustrated, gloomy, and cheerless Stephanie sat down at the piano and pressed her index finger against a single note over and over again while Clyde rolled along the floor embedded within an enormous drum. When he rolled over to her, he stuck his head out and giggled like a maniac.

"Hey, Steph! Come over here! There's room for one more! Whoo-hoo!"

"No, thanks Clyde." She gave him half a smile.

"Aw, what's the matter!?"

"Yeah, Steph." Trixie stood at the door with Stingy behind. "What's wrong? I haven't seen you all day."

"Nothing." She turned her attention back over to the piano and put her head down.

Stingy looked down at Clyde, who snuck back inside the drum and began making several animal noises as he continued rolling along the floor.

"It's him, isn't it?" The miser concluded. "You're worried about your boyfriend."

"I'M A HERMIT CRAB!" Clyde mimicked the animal's movement's turning his hands into "claws" and using the drum as a "shell". "MWWWAAAAH! MWAAAAH!"

"Shut up!" Stingy kicked the drum away, dragging Clyde along with it. "Stephanie, don't you think he should see a doctor or something? Maybe a--"

"Claudette already tired." She shook her head. "And anyway, he's the least of my concerns right now."

"What's up, Pinky?" Trixie sat next to her best friend. "You were all sunshine and butterflies a minute ago."

"It's just… so much has happened in such a small amount of time." Her gaze pointed nowhere as she began to fidget. "Khan… Remus… the amulets. Oh, God. The amulets. Everyday I feel their power weighing down on me."

"What do you mean?"

"It's like they're trying to communicate with me. They're trying to tell me something but I can't quite hear what it is. Like if there was something within me that was trying to break free and the amulets… the amulets want to help me release it…Does that make sense?"

"No but go on."

"It's kind of hard to explain, really."

"Explain what?" Pixel asked as he and Ziggy walked in. "What's going on? Someone in trouble? Is it Ziggy? Please say it's Ziggy."

"Hey!" The blond-haired boy hissed. "Is that any way to talk to the guy who saved your life!?"

"Ziggy, all you did was scare off a couple of spiders then became the next item on the menu."

"Yeah, well--Hey, look at Clyde! He's a crab! Hahaha! Cool! I want to play too! Where are the drums!?"

While Ziggy went off to make a fool of himself, Stephanie took out the amulets from underneath her shirt and studied them closely. Each individual gem sparkled with their respective color and at that moment, the pink-haired girl could feel yet another tug within her. Trixie noticed this and put a hand over hers.

"What's wrong?" She asked in a low tone.

"…Nothing." Stephanie stood up, tucking the gems under again. "I just… I think maybe I should just go outside for some air…"

"What we need is a vacation." Stingy suggested.

"A what?"

"Yeah." Trixie grinned, an idea forming her head. "Somewhere away from civilization, powerful dark wizards and magic gems. Just a simple cottage on the beach with just the wind and the ocean to keep us company."

Stingy noticed a scraper on one of the tables and picked it up, slowly running down the ridges with a stick. "Well, hey! Think about it! We're halfway there already! I mean there's a beach down here, remember?"

"Hey, you're right." Pixel nodded as he walked on over to a xylophone. "And I bet the village is ripe with several cuties for us single guys to meet. Right, Ziggy!?"

"Huh?" Ziggy looked over as began beating on a set of drums that kept in rhythm with Stingy's scraping.

"What are you guys doing?" Stephanie couldn't help but grin as she noticed her friends were building a musical atmosphere.

"We're not doing anything." Pixel shrugged as he began playing a tune on the xylophone. "Just having fun. That's all."

"Yeah, just relax Pinky!" Trixie stood by her friend, shaking a pair of maracas. "Get into the groove!"

"What groove?" Stephanie was now at the brink of laughter. "You guys are acting weird!"

"Weird?" Stingy dropped the percussion instrument and picked up a bass guitar to play with instead. "We're the ones enjoying ourselves. What are _you_ doing?"

Stephanie smiled and stood there while her friends played their instruments, feeling the slow and soothing melody that was running through her body. She started to tap her left hand against her side and kept her eyes closed, focusing on the positive energy that was suddenly overpowering the negative she had been feeling earlier. Soon her head was gently bobbing forward and her smile grew even bigger as the music grew louder and more exuberant. Stephanie finally opened her eyes to the pulsating Caribbean beat that was surrounding her and visited each of her friends as they poured their hearts and souls into their instruments.

"_I like to go out every now and then.  
I can't wait to do it again.  
But I haven't had the time"_

"_Lately." Pixel, Ziggy, Trixie and Stingy whispered in perfect harmony. _

"_I like to step out every once in a while.  
I kind of like to do it in style.  
I haven't had the time."_

_"Lately."_

She then swayed back and forth, left and right, slowly arousing Clyde's attention as he came crawling out of the large drum to stare into her beautiful dark eyes while she placed him under her spell.

"_Lately I've been stayin' at home."_

_"Stayin' at home, stayin' at home."_

_"Workin' the crosswords, turn off the phone."_

_"Turn off the phone, turn off the phone."_

She then twirled him around and led her friends out of the music room and into the halls of the castle with their instruments in tow.

"_And I dream I'm on vacation!"  
'Cause I like the way that sounds.  
It's a perfect occupation  
For me.  
I don't mind being by myself  
If there's no one else around.  
It's the last good time in town!"_

The small group then headed down the stairs, past the library and grabbed several officers on duty and medical personnel to join their little musical parade with Stephanie as their ringleader.

"_Well, I could stand up straight, get a real job.  
Stay up late with the same old mob  
But it hasn't crossed my mind."_

_"Lately."_

_"Put on a suit, work downtown  
Then come up when the sun goes down.  
No, I haven't had the time."_

_"Lately."_

_"Lately I've been stayin' at home."_

_"Stayin' at home, stayin' at home."_

_"Closin' the curtains, play jazz on trombone."_

_"Jazz on trombone, jazz on trombone."_

Once they danced their way out onto the courtyard, several bystanders couldn't help but join in on the fun. They were all connected by the strange power of the music but nobody seemed to mind. When Ozymandias saw this, he was the first to dive in and pick up an instrument.

"_And I dream I'm on vacation.  
No, you won't see me around.  
It's a perfect situation  
For me.  
I don't mind being by myself  
'Cause I know you'll come on down.  
It's the last good time in town!"_

There was a brief percussion break until Clyde approached his beloved and kneeled down before her, presenting her with a bright red electric guitar. Stephanie did a cute curtsey before accepting her musical ax and strapping it around her. When the time was right, she immediately turned to her comrades and unleashed a melodious explosion with her guitar, impressing everyone in the crowd and causing them to jump for joy. She continued playing with precision and ease as she led them all to the front lawn of the castle, where Sportacus, Robbie, the king and queen were staring at them with disbelief.

"_Lately I've been stayin' at home."_

_"Stayin' at home, stayin' at home."_

_"Workin' the crosswords, turn off the phone."_

_"Turn off the phone, turn off the phone."_

"What the Sam Scratch is going on?" Robbie scratched his head.

"_And I dream I'm on vacation!  
'Cause I like the way that sounds.  
It's a perfect occupation  
For me. Yes it is.  
I don't mind being by myself.  
If you don't see me around.  
It's the last good time, last good time in town!"_

When the musical jamboree came to an end, taking its cue from Stephanie's overzealous guitar strumming, the king and queen clapped their hands and cheered the crowd on.

"Wonderful!" Jezelle exclaimed. "Absolutely wonderful!"

"Amazing." Hal nodded in approval. "You and your friends have quite a talent there, Stephanie."

"Thanks." The pink one smiled as she caught her breath.

"That's exactly the kind of performance we should give at the celebration tomorrow evening!"

"Great!" She paused to breathe in some more. "…What celebration?"

---

The men were all dressed in expensive suits, designer jackets and pure authentic leather coats. They came in all shapes and sizes, races and nationalities ranging from German, African-American, Italian, Russian and Persian. The heads of each family sat at a table with their handymen standing behind them as they all gazed at the television set before them. The sounds of the ocean and the cawing of seagulls coming from the video could only mean that the footage was taken somewhere at the beach. Then two men were seen standing at the edge of the crawling ocean as it gently touched the sand. A third person, whose head could only be seen poking up from the sand, began to grunt and groan, pleading for his life.

"_So how are you, Sal? Doing good, I hope?"_

_"You can't kill me! You just can't!"_

_"Of course I can! It's just way too easy!"_

_"Please! I'll give you whatever you want!"_

_"Oh believe me, I don't need your help giving me what I want. I've already taken it."_

_"Just let me go! Please!"_

_"All in due time, Sal. But first I want you to tell me about the Ragetti family. Where are they staying at, huh? You should know this. You serve them, don't you?"_

"_What do you want with the Ragettis?"_

_"The same thing I wanted with the rest of the families: Total control."_

"_If I tell you, you'll let me go?"_

_"Sure thing, pal."_

_"West Virginia Avenue. Over by the docks. They operate a drug ring overnight to ship out their stuff in stuffed animals and toys."_

_"Oh, how clichéd. Did you hear that, Remus? By the docks. That's code for 'warehouse'. Ugh. Whatever. Thanks, Sal! I owe ya!"_

_"So you'll let me live?"_

_"Of course! I'm a man of my word! Say, have you eaten anything?"_

_"No… no, not a bite for hours."_

_"Well good! I wouldn't want you to get cramps! Come, Remus! The Ragettis beckon!"_

_"Wait! Come back! You said you'd let me live! Wait! WAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIT!!!"_

As the video cut off to show nothing but a screen full of static, the men finally caught their breaths and exchanged nervous glances. Then the television exploded, catching them all off guard.

"Now _that's_ good TV!"

"Who are you?" One of the men in suits asked.

"Allow me to introduce myself! My name is Reiko Jynn-Khan, director and star of _'Sal's Day At The Beach'_! And with me is my accomplice, Mr. Remus Tard. Take a bow, Tardy-Wardy!"

"So you whacked a rat. Big deal." Another mobster scoffed. "Sleazy jerk got what was comin' to him, anyway."

"Didn't he, though?" Reiko giggled. "Gentlemen! I have gathered you here today not as an enemy but as a businessman! You see, there's this neat little kingdom where Remus is from and they have something I want. No, something I _need_! Because within the walls of this oh-so great kingdom is _another_ kingdom waiting to be unwrapped like the last Christmas present under the tree!"

"And what do you expect _us _to do?" Yet another suit questioned Reiko.

"Well I just need you and your best and brightest to go in and make a huge mess of things so I can reclaim what is rightfully mine."

"And how are we supposed to do that?"

"Funny you should ask! A little bird told me that they're planning a big party tomorrow night! Why? I don't know! But it'll give you boys a chance to crash the gates, have a few drinks, share a few laughs, maybe get some nookie if you're lucky! Huh? What do you say?"

"I say you're a damn fool." An Italian in leather shook his head. "I've heard about you. Rumor has it you killed Luigi Vercotti and took over his empire."

"Yeah and I also heard you got rid of the Piranha brothers, too!" Another added.

"Yes, I killed Vercotti. So what? As for the Piranhas, they were taken into police custody. They're still alive but I made sure his men died for my cause. But enough about them, let's talk about _you _guys! You in or out?"

"I don't get it. They say you have all these weird powers and abilities but you ain't done nothing to prove it. I say you're a fake."

"He's a phony!"

"A fake!"

"You got nothing on us!"

"Wow. I'm heartbroken." Reiko mimed a teardrop. "Sure, I can go out there and recruit some crack-head or a lowly gang-banger from the streets to do my dirty work. But why? Why use _them_ when I can use _you_? You're so much more talented in your field of work than any other group of people I know. You've got that flair and pizzazz I've been looking for! Oh, and don't think you're work will go unrewarded! I'll make sure you guys get all that you desire and more!"

They paused for a moment and thought about Khan's proposal. Remus just stood there, still and silent. Secretly, he had begun to wonder why he had recruited the help of Khan in the first place. He wasn't getting anywhere with him. He was no closer to resurrecting the Shadow Dragon with him than he was with Robbie back in LazyTown.

"Reiko." He finally spoke. "Are you sure you want to do this? Are your powers even at full strength again?"

"I admit our little adventure in Iceland took a lot out of me." He nodded. "But I've regained enough power to do what I must."

"Perhaps, if they agree on your generous proposal, we should stand by to see if things go according to plan."

"You mean let them crash the party with us on the sidelines? No way! I want some of that cake!" He chuckled. "…Oh but I suppose you're right."

"We've come to a decision." One of the men said.

And in a chain reaction, every representative of each crime family raised their hand in the air and nodded to Khan's proposal. They had come to an agreement. They would work for Khan.

"Excellent!" The dark magician cheered. "Now who's up for a beer?"

* * *

**Song:**

**"Last Good Time In Town" by The Eagles**


	28. Burning Hearts

**XXVII**

"You killed her, didn't you?"

"Who? I've killed lots of people."

"Desirée LaFleur. Sophia LaFleur's daughter."

"Desirée… huh." He grinned. "I thought you looked familiar. You've let your hair grow down. And you're not wearing that silly purple tutu or--"

"I'm not that girl you murdered, you sick bastard."

"Of course not. You're obviously some recreation or clone of some sort, designed to haunt me for the rest of my life. Is that it?"

"Not exactly. But it gives me an idea."

"Well it won't work. I have no remorse or regret for my actions."

"Why did you do it?"

"Because I could. It was so easy."

"That's all?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"Oh, I don't know. You were bitter because you weren't good enough to carry the mantle of Number Nine? You wanted to release your anger and frustration on someone smaller and weaker than you? It made you feel like a big man, maybe? I mean is that how you really get your kicks? By having your way with a young girl and murdering her?"

"You think you know everything, don't you?"

"No. And I don't think I want to know everything."

"She was a whore."

"Shut up."

"She loved it. That look on her face when I had my hands all over her and I--"

"I said shut up!"

"What's the matter, dear? Jealous?" He chuckled. "You don't know what it's like to be with a real man until you've been with the best."

"My Robbie's more of a man than you'll ever be."

"Really? Last I heard, he couldn't give you a child." He snickered. "Or is that _your_ fault?"

Furious and at a loss for words, she turned away from the glass cage and balled up a fist that shook in place. Tombstone could see this and grinned even more.

"Aw, did I say something to upset you?"

"You…" Her voice trembled. "…You better pray to God they don't let you out of there."

"Or what? You'll challenge me to a dance competition?"

"…If you only knew."

And with that, she was gone. The former guardsman just stood there with his hands and feet restrained by the massive shackles and closed his eyes with a sadistic thought in his head.

---

_I felt you in my legs  
Before I even met you  
And when I laid beside you  
For the first time  
I told you  
I feel you in my heart,  
And I don't even know you  
Now we're saying  
Bye, bye, bye  
Now we're saying  
Bye, bye, bye  
I was nineteen_

She entered the gymnasium and walked in on Sportacus, who was sprinting through the obstacle course with ease. She was impressed by how fast he was able to leap over the hurdles and clamp onto the rings, hurling himself over the racks and onto a rope, where he then swung across the room and landed on the floor and finished his exercises with a series of front-flips. When he came face to face with the violet-eyed beauty, he stopped in his tracks and smiled at her.

"Helmina…"

"Magnus." She smiled back at him. "I guess some things never change."

"I guess not." He chuckled.

She walked past and reached for a towel that was lying on a set of weights then tossed it over to him. "Here you go."

"Thanks." He said as he began to wipe the sweat from his brow and his bare chest. "What are you doing here?"

"I just thought I'd stop by and visit."

"Oh."

"You know ever since you rescued me back in Reykjavík, we haven't had a chance to talk and catch up. And I never got a chance to say thank you. So… _thank you_."

"It was nothing."

"You saved my life."

"It's what I do."

"And you do it very well. Jon would be proud. I know your parents are. And I know I am too."

"Thank you."

There was a long pause and all they did was stare at each other, unsure of what to say to one another. The silence was broken, however, when a bright colored polyester whale stuck his head in.

"Where's the bathroom!? I've really got to take a whiz!"

Sportacus squinted at the sight. "Ziggy? Is that you?"

"Yeah! So where's the bathroom?"

"Down the hall and to your left."

"Great! Thanks!"

When Ziggy left there was another brief silence until Helmina cleared her throat with a strange look on her face. "Does he… does he _sleep_ in that costume?"

"I guess so."

"You have some very odd friends, Magnus. Charming but very, _very_ odd."

"Funny. I feel the same way about you."

"Really?" She grinned. "So that's it, is it? Just an odd friend and… nothing else?"

"Helmina…" He took a deep breath and moved forward, placing his hands over hers. "…I'm not very good at this."

"Just say what you feel."

"I… I waited for so long to see you again and… now that I have you here right in front of me, I… I don't know what to do. There's so much I wanted to tell you. Feelings I can't quite explain. I just…"

"I know. You've been distracted by your duties."

"I have. I'm sorry. But really, I…"

"And then when all is said and done, you'll just leave again. Like you did last time."

"Helmina, please. I--"

He found her lips brushing gently against his and suddenly his body went numb. He was producing more heat than ever before and when they broke way from each other, he swept her off her feet and gazed deep into her sparkling purple eyes.

"I know you have a responsibility." She whispered "And it wouldn't be fair for me to ask you to stay and never go back to the life you've made over there. But for tonight… _just tonight_… will you love me?"

"I'll always love you."

He kissed her again and carried her over to the next room. His room. The door then opened just as fast as it closed and out came Ziggy running like a maniac with his hands cupped over his groin.

"Sorry!" He shouted back. "I'll find somewhere else to go!"

_I felt you in my life  
Before I ever thought to  
Feel the need to lay down  
Beside you  
And tell you  
I feel you in my heart,  
And I don't even know you  
And now we're saying  
Bye, bye, bye  
Now we're saying  
Bye, bye, bye  
I was nineteen_

---

Pixel sat at his desk and went over the blueprints before transferring the data on his hard drive. He took out a pencil and made a few sketches before measuring them and once again relying on his computer to store the information. He took a moment to stretch out and yawn when he saw a friendly face hand him a cup of coffee.

"I thought you might need this." Claudette said without a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Working late, I see?"

"It's only eight--"

"It's midnight, actually."

"Hell, I've stayed up later than that."

"How long?"

"Well I was up for three days straight working on a special project."

"Really? What was it?"

"A toaster."

"A toaster?"

"Yeah."

"That's it? Just… a toaster?"

"Well it wasn't just _any _toaster."

"Never mind. What are you working on right now?"

"Oh this?" He picked up one of his blueprints. "Just an idea I had a while back."

"What is it?"

"Well it's a suit. A _protective_ suit. It's a cybernetic remote-activated exoskeleton. Or CYRAX for short."

"And this?" She pointed to another set.

"Same concept only different features. This one's a sensor-emitting cybernetic transformer with oral response technology. Or SECTOR for short."

"When did you start working on these?"

"Well I had the idea floating around in my head for a few years but when we finally arrived here and I studied all the advanced technology you guys have, I decided now would be the best time to bring them to life."

"Impressive."

"You really think so?"

"I do."

"Well thanks."

"Maybe I misjudged you, Pixel."

"It happens."

They stared at each other for just a moment until Ziggy came wandering around, breaking their focus on each other. "Hey, where's the bathroom!?"

"Ziggy!" Pixel gasped "Damn it, man! Why are you still wearing that thing!?"

"It's comfy! Now where's the bathroom?"

"Out the door and to your left!" Pixel turned him in the right direction and sent him on his way. "Now go!"

"Oh, fine!"

Claudette watched the stuffed blue whale walk out the door and decided to follow. "I better turn in for the night. Don't stay up too late, Pixel."

"Aw, why the concern?"

"I just don't want you screwing up my machinery, that's all."

"Oh, poo." He stuck his tongue out playfully.

"Good night."

"Night."

He watched her leave the room and sighed dreamily to himself. Afterwards, he turned his attention back over to his work and continued bringing his suits to fruition.

---

"Ow…"

"Are you okay?"

"I just landed on my back on this mat that was supposedly made for softening my fall."

"I'm guessing it didn't?"

"No…"

Stingy got up with a little bit of help from Trixie and rubbed his back as he limped over to the bench. Trixie shook her head and gave in to her need to laugh.

"Go ahead, laugh it up…" Stingy sat down slowly. "My pain is everyone's pleasure, is that it?"

"Oh, Stingy. Don't be like that." She walked over to him. "I'm just trying to help you."

"What, to become a paraplegic? Great job so far, Trix! Keep it up."

"Now you're just being an ass."

"Sorry." He sighed. "I still haven't shown any improvement."

"You're doing fine. You just need to find the right motivation."

"I'd say somebody threatening my life is enough motivation to go in and start a fight."

"You know the whole exercise wasn't meant for you to go out looking for trouble, it's so you can prevent it from happening."

"Is everything all right?" Leon entered the training grounds. "I heard a commotion and I thought I'd check it out."

"Leon…"

Stingy noticed the starry-eyed look on Trixie's face and cringed. "Hey! We're in the middle of official Trinity Watch business here, buddy! So why don't you take a hike and let us practice!"

"Stingy!" She punched his arm. "We're okay, Leon. Thanks. I was just helping him with a training exercise."

"Oh. Well I just came off duty. Do you need some help?"

"No!"

"Sure!" Trixie stood up and walked over to the blond-haired young man. "I was thinking we could show Stingy the basic self-defense maneuvers. Y'know, just so he can get an idea."

"Sounds good."

"Wait!" Stingy tried to stand up but gave in to his back pains. "Never mind! Never mind!"

Trixie and Leon stood across from each other on opposite ends of the training mat and couldn't help but smile at one another. This, of course, only infuriated Stingy.

"Do you want to be the victim or the assailant?" Leon asked his partner.

"Victim." She smirked. "And don't go easy on me just because I'm a girl."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

She nodded then called out to Stingy. "All right, Stingy! Watch me!"

They waited for exactly three seconds then Leon came running towards Trixie, swinging his arms and legs around but Trixie managed to deflect every blow and kick him straight in the chest. The Young man fell on his back and looked up with astonishment.

"Whoa…" He chuckled. "I wasn't expecting that."

"I told you not to hold back."

"Okay, I get the idea! Can we go now!?" Stingy pleaded.

With a nod, Leon jumped right back on his feet and readied himself for another round. "Want to try that again?"

"Sure. No holding back?"

"Definitely not."

With a smile, she nodded and motioned for him to come. "Bring it."

He repeated his first attack only this time he alternated in between his left and right hooks, using only his legs as a sort of distraction. But Trixie was smart enough to see every move coming and grabbed hold of his arms, restraining him in place.

"Gotcha!" She chuckled.

"How 'bout we make this interesting?"

"What did you have in mind?"

Displaying his quick reflexes, Leon was able to twist his way out of Trixie's grasp and greet her with another series of swings and uppercuts. As always, though, Trixie managed to dodge every attack and even managed to grab hold of his hand, pulling him towards her. With such an uneven balance, the two fell onto the mat and came face to face with one another while Stingy's fists were shaking with rage and jealousy.

"That was a hell of a workout." Leon grinned.

"Yeah…" She breathed heavily. "…Thanks."

When they were on their feet again, Trixie could see the enraged look on Stingy's face and hurried over to him. "Hey, are you all right?"

"You… You…" He muttered. "…I think we're done for tonight, don't you?"

"Yeah, it's getting late." She checked her watch. "I better put him on ice before he starts to swell. Thanks again for the lesson, Leon."

"No problem. I'll see you at the party tomorrow night?"

"Count on it."

When Leon was out of view, Stingy stood up and took Trixie's hand, leading her back over to the training mat.

"Stingy, what are you doing?"

"That thing you did with Leon just now. Let's do it."

"What? No. You're hurt."

"It's okay, I'm getting better."

"Stingy, relax. We'll try again tomorrow."

"I want to try again now."

"It's late. Let's go to bed."

"C'mon, Trix. Let's do this."

"Stingy, I don't want to."

"Why? Because I'm not Leon?"

She paused and with an insulted look on her face, she crossed her arms. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You don't think I know what's going on?"

"Enlighten me, O Wise One."

"You're into him. It's that simple."

"What are you talking about?"

"Leon! You're head over heels for that guy!"

"Stingy, that's crazy."

"No, it's not. I see the way you look at him, the way your face lights up whenever he's near and that little interaction just now? I can tell he likes you too."

"Stingy…" She sighed, shaking her head with disbelief. "Why are you jealous of him?"

"Oh, come on. He's tough, he's well-built and he doesn't seem to be afraid of anything. Plus, he knows how to throw down without having his girlfriend bail him out."

"Where are all these insecurities of yours coming from!?"

"I just don't like the idea of you hanging around with some muscle-head jock like him, that's all!"

"So being your girlfriend means that I can't be friends with whoever I want?"

"I didn't say that."

"You might as well have."

"Trixie, I just don't want you to see him! Is that too much to ask for!?"

"Yes it is, as a matter of fact! He's a valuable ally, in case you haven't noticed!" She stood her ground and began a shouting match with her old friend. "And if you're too blind to see that then I don't know what to think of you anymore!"

"I have faith in you, Trix. I just--"

"Oh, yeah. I can tell!"

"Trixie, I don't want to fight. I just want us to--"

"Then tell me why you're acting this way. Why are you so paranoid?"

"You know why."

"Nope. Sure don't."

Furious, she turned to walk away when she was halted by the sound of Stingy's voice that suddenly uttered something she never thought she'd hear him say.

"I love you."

"…What?" She slowly turned around to face him. "What did you say?"

"I said I love you."

"Don't."

"Trix, I--"

"I said don't." She raised a finger at him and shook her head. "Not unless you mean it. And right now I'm not sure if you do."

"Trixie…"

"You'll have to find yourself another date for tomorrow night." She turned around again. "I'm going with Leon."

Heartbroken and completely taken aback, he just stood there and watched her leave. His hands were shaking and he suddenly felt cold all over his body.

As he wiped a tear from his eye, he simply muttered to himself, "…But you're mine."

"Hey, Stingy?" A familiar voice caught his attention. "Where's the bathroom?"

---

Robbie sat up in bed, going over his journal and trying to find a link to his past when he was suddenly greeted by a pair of arms wrapping around his waist and a kiss on his cheek.

"Hey…" He smiled at her. "I haven't seen you all day."

"I know. I'm sorry." She held him tight. "I was just sorting some things out."

"Did you talk to Ms. LaFleur?"

"Yeah."

"What did you find out?"

"A lot."

"Such as?"

"Let's just say that some things are better left forgotten." She exhaled deeply. "Did you find out anything about your past?"

"Nothing." Robbie shook his head. "Claudette's digging deeper with that computer of hers but somehow I doubt I'll find the answers I need."

"You just to need have faith."

"I guess." He closed his book and placed it on the dresser next to the bed and gazed into his fiancée's eyes. "If I could somehow defy the gods and actually fall in love with someone as angelic as you then I guess I can strike gold in that brain of mine somewhere and remember my past."

"That's the Robbie I know and love."

"Oh, my dear sweet Rottenella. I have so much--"

"Robbie." She placed a finger over his lips. "Please. Call me _Desirée_."

_Flew home,  
Back to where we met  
Stayed inside  
I was so upset  
Cooked up a plan,  
So good except  
I was all alone  
You were all I had  
Love you  
You were all mine  
Love me  
I was yours right  
I was yours right  
I was nineteen_

_

* * *

**Song:**_

**Nineteen by Tegan & Sara**


	29. Have A Drink On Me

**XXVIII**

Ziggy wrestled through the thick shrubs and tree branches only to be smacked in the face by several more that were right along his path. The advantage of wearing his whale outfit was that he couldn't feel the wrath of the wild trees that surrounded the castle but the major disadvantage was that he couldn't quite see where he was going. His desperate search for the bathroom had only led him further and further away from his destination despite the many times he stopped to ask his friends for directions. Now it was apparent that his fruitless searching led him to the outskirts of the palace courtyard, where the only reasonable solution to his problem was to just go in the bushes.

"Oh well." He shrugged. "Might as well make the most of it."

He looked down to undo his zipper only to discover much to his horror that there _was no _zipper and the only way to undo the costume was from the back. Because of the giant whale head that covered his own, the tight-fitting fabric that restrained his arms, and the fact that neither Pixel or Stingy was there to help him, he was unable to fully reach the back zipper and escape from the walls of polyester that imprisoned him.

"Oh no…" He gulped. "Oh no… no, no, no…"

His struggle for relief came to a halt when he heard several voices murmuring low from within the trees. He heard several twigs and sticks snap in the distance and decided to follow the sounds in the hopes that he would run into somebody that would help him undo his costume.

"Hello?" He called out, reaching out with his right fin. "Is anybody there? I really, _really _have to take a leak!"

"_Zül… Zül… Zül…" _

"Huh? Who said that?"

"_Zül… Zül… Zül…"_

"Oh, God… where am I going? Hello!? Is anybody out there!?"

_"Zül! Zül! Zül!" _The chanting became louder and faster as Ziggy drew closer to the noises.

"I can hear you! Can anyone undo me from the back, please!? I need to go!"

Then, in a sudden gust of fire that seemed to rise from the ground, Ziggy was knocked on his back much to the shock and awe of the men in blue and white cloaks. They stood around a specially built pyre made of wicker, sticks and twigs that was shaped like a whale and gazed down at the wandering blue creature that was wriggling on the floor before them.

"My brothers!" The leader held his hand out. "The day has finally arrived! The great and powerful Zül has finally returned to free us! All hail Zül!"

"HAIL!" They all cheered. "ZÜL! ZÜL! ZÜL!"

"Huh? What?" Ziggy found himself being lifted by three of the cloaked men. "What's going on? Where's the toilet?"

"Careful, brothers! He must be lifted onto his throne gently so as not to disturb the fire!"

"Fire!?" Ziggy turned his head and from the small gap in his mask, he was able to make out a small staircase that led to the top of a burning pyre. "WHAT!?"

"Easy, brothers! That's it! Steady now!"

"Oh HELL NO!" Ziggy struggled to break free until he finally rolled off and landed belly-first onto the ground.

"He has fallen!" The leader called. "Hoist him back up onto his throne!"

"NO!"

Ziggy wrestled around with the several monks that came to pick him back up and during the process, his costume somehow managed to slip off thus leaving him wearing only a T-shirt and boxers. When Ziggy felt the cold air blow against his skin, he quickly removed the giant whale head and hurried over to the pyre, where he relieved himself and in doing so he put the flames out.

"Aaaaahhh…." He exhaled blissfully. "That's better…"

When he finished, he turned around to face a large group of confused monks who stared at him with utter horror and disbelief. With a simple wave and a smile, he lowered himself to pick up his costume and began to walk away.

"Thanks for your help, I guess." He chuckled nervously. "I'll see myself out… or _in_, I suppose would be the correct response."

"Zül?" The leader gulped. "Is it really you?"

"Look, who are you guys!?"

"My name is Balthazar." I am the head priest of your order, my lord.

"What order?"

"Why, the Right Fin of Zül, my lord."

"Quit calling me that! I'm not a god!"

"He's so modest!" One of the monks gasped with awe. "Hail Zül!"

"HAIL!" They all responded.

"I'm out of here…" Ziggy turned away.

"Wait! Come back!"

"Better leg it."

Dropping everything in place, Ziggy ran out of the woodland area as fast as he could, hoping to lose the Right Fin in his desperation. He could hear their voices and their footsteps gaining on him so he picked up the pace. He ducked and dodged every tree branch that hit him in the face before and saw the welcoming structure of the courtyard dead ahead. Once he made it, he hurried inside the castle and ran up the stairs, taking the lift and sprinting past the halls, where he wound up in his room, locking the doors shut. After jumping in his bed and shivering in his covers, Ziggy gulped when he came to a sudden realization.

"Oh no… I have to pee again."

---

Astral walked in on her as she was levitating all four gold medallions in the air. They encircled the pink-haired young woman and began to pulsate with their magic energy. She closed her eyes and focused on obtaining total control, stirring the gems within each gold disc and causing them to rattle in place. Stephanie grunted softly and tightened her face, trying desperately to overpower the magic energies that were flowing within her.

Astral kept watch but said nothing to interrupt her and break her concentration. He stood there and felt the dark auras that were surrounding the room crawl down his backside. He shuddered and noticed the walls were slightly shaking. The tremors were powerful enough to break Stephanie's trance but not enough to wake up the entire palace. When the amulets fell to the floor, Stephanie opened her eyes and noticed the old monk standing at the doorway.

"Astral…" A breath of cold air escaped her lips. "…Did I wake you?"

"No, of course not." He shook his head. "You do realize, Stephanie, there are gyms and training grounds open for your convenience? Surely a library doesn't need to suffer the wrath of a stray blaze of fire?"

"Sorry." He flipped her hair and exhaled another cloud of cold air. "I was just trying to channel the amulets' energies into me. Like the way Remus did."

"I can see that."

"I didn't realize it would be so hard."

"Remus has a stronger connection with them because he had the Earth amulet for so long. That's why he was able to conduct their power with ease."

"I'll just have to try harder."

"Stephanie, don't be a fool. Those amulets will be your undoing. You know it." He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You _must_ destroy them."

"I can't." She shook her head. "Not now. Not when I need them to my advantage."

"I implore you, Stephanie. Don't fall into the same dark chasm Remus and I fell into."

"I won't. I _know_ I won't."

"You've much to learn, young one." He began to walk away. "I suppose the only way you'll understand is by embracing your inner darkness. So be it. My only regret is that I won't be there to save you from it. You'll have to learn to pull yourself out much like I did."

"Astral…"

"Good night."

"…Good night."

---

Inside the local cantina, somewhere within the village, a drunken Dramatik took center stage near the back of the bar and spoke through an open microphone. Nobody listened. They were either talking amongst themselves or passed out on their tables. The thespian didn't care. He poured his heart and soul into the little microphone, taking a few sips of cognac in between verses, and was determined to stay there all night if he had to.

"_OH THE PAIN!" _He placed his hand over his head. "Who were once my blood, they are now my enemies! No longer can I turn to them for support! For they… THEY!!! …They serve a creature so evil… so BOLD!!!… They have forgotten who they are! They have forgotten where their loyalties belong to! Thus… They have forgotten… ME!!!"

"Y'know, he's _really_ starting to piss me off." Bob growled as he downed a shot of whiskey. "I say we finish up here and leave him."

"Oh, come on Bob…" Louie shook his head. "Let him be. They guy's got it rough. I mean his siblings are working with Khan for God's sake."

"It ain't my problem!" He slammed his furry little paw on the table. "I shouldn't have to put up with his 'acting' every time something bad happens to him! Hey, bartender! Another round!"

"What I want to know ith why are we thtill here? Thtephanie hath all the amuleth, right? I mean it theemth to me like we're juth waiting for trouble to happen!" The Professor lisped. "Why don't we go back home and find Khan ourthelveth?"

"I reckon they don't wanna endanger LazyTown." Jasper suggested as he took a swig from his bottle of moonshine. "Storm's a-coming, y'all. And I know damn well that we're gonna get wrangled into it at one point or another."

"We're _already_ wrangled in." Louie sighed.

"I woke up this morning!" Dramatik continued. "And what did I find!?"

"Fellas, I'm serious!" Bob grunted. "I'm gonna tear him a new one if he don't shut his trap!"

"PAIN is what I found! _PAIN_! Oh, dear me! The pain! It is unbearable!" He laid on his back with the microphone close to his mouth as a somber piano melody played in the background. "We… _are family_! Yes… we… we are family! I've got… I've got all my _sisters…_ with _me_! NO! Come… everybody, come and sing! We… _are family_! Hey, sister… Go, sister! _Soul_ sister!"

"I don't believe this…" Louie shook his head. "I think we'd better get him out of here before someone sobers up and kills him."

"Why hurry?" Bob snickered.

"Come on." Louie plucked the pink bunny from his seat and carried him over his shoulder. "It's getting late, anyway."

"Giuchie! GIUCHIE! Ya ya… YA YA! Da da? Oh _da da_? DA DA!!!! Where is my da da!? Voulez vous coucher avec moi! C'est soir! _C'est soir_, I tell you! _C'est SOIR_!!!"

"Okay, Dramatik, time to go." Louie grabbed him by the arms. "Doc, get him by the legs, will ya?"

"C'mon, Dramatik." The Professor helped lift the drunken actor. "Let's get you back home."

"Home?" He hiccupped. "I have no home… My siblings are out there somewhere… serving _him_…"

---

_Whiskey, gin and brandy  
With a glass I'm pretty handy  
I'm trying to walk a straight line  
On sour mash and cheap wine  
So join me for a drink boys  
We're gonna make a big noise  
So don't worry about tomorrow  
Take it today  
Forget about the tip  
We'll get hell to pay _

He sat there talking to them very enthusiastically. Remus had never seen him act so friendly before but there was something unsettling about they way they were looking at him. They were smiling. So there was no way Reiko was being rude or facetious in any way. Remus then turned to his left and studied the happy couple sitting across from him at the bar. Their faces were still yet calm. Their hands were gently clasped which could only mean that they were simply enjoying each other's company.

He sighed and turned back around, facing straight at the bar. He noticed all the bottles were neatly organized and standing tall next to the shot glasses, wine glasses and Scotch glasses. The bartender was leaning against his cooler, presumably just taking a breather and waiting for someone to order. Understandable, especially under these circumstances since the bar wasn't exactly packed to the limit. He looked down at his wine glass and noticed he had barely touched it. For some reason he had lost his will to drink but didn't know why.

_Have a drink on me  
Have a drink on me  
Yeah  
Have a drink on me  
Have a drink on me _

"Reiko?" He waited for a response. "Reiko, can I talk to you?"

"Excuse me, won't you?" He turned away from his new friends. "Yes, what is it?"

"What are we doing here?"

"I told you, we're just having a nightcap."

"We need that book, Reiko. I must gain control of the Shadow Dragon."

"All in due time, Tardy-Wardy!" He playfully wrapped his arm around him. "Listen to me. You worry too much, you know that? That Stephanie lady? God, is she one foxy mama! But she's not a threat, do you understand me?"

"You don't know her like I do." He grimaced. "She's unpredictable. Powerful. _Strong_."

"So am I, in case you've forgotten."

"Your magic is waning."

"Look." He slammed his drink on the table. "You just worry about opening that portal. Once I have the blackheart in my possession, I'll be able to reawaken your precious Shadow Dragon and then we'll have as much fun as we want!"

"What about Chameleon?"

"He's out looking for a Lunasphere." He paused to take a drink of his whiskey. "Once he finds it, we'll be given another advantage over our enemies."

"Is everything ready for tomorrow night?"

"Yes! Good God, yes!" He tossed his glass back and chuckled after hearing it shatter. "Everything will go according to plan tomorrow night ! Now can I please get back to talking to my new friends?"

"Hang on."

"What now!?" He groaned. "Oh. It's you three."

Magik, Havik and Diabolik wandered over to the front of the bar, looking dazed and disoriented. Khan motioned for the young girl to come forward and bent her head down ever so slightly as he slipped a ring on his finger that had a small needle protruding from the center. Within the small red area behind Magik's bare neck, Khan pressed his ring down against her skin, where the needle had gone in several times before, and released her while the serum worked its magic. After a brief jarring experience, she was now under his control again and soon Havik and Diabolik would find themselves in the same state of mind.

_My glass is getting shorter  
On whiskey, ice and water  
So come on and have a good time  
And get blinded out of your mind  
So don't worry about tomorrow  
Take it today  
Forget about the cheque  
We'll get hell to pay _

"There." Khan wiped the little bit of blood from the pointy tip of his ring. "Now go. Wait outside. I'm still talking to these nice young people. Remus?"

"What?"

"Care for a vodka and tonic?"

"I'd better turn in as well."

"Aw, you pansy!" He playfully flung a few peanuts at him as he left. "Well don't wait up!"

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Remus walked past several others who were just sitting there on their tables, listening to the music or just cuddling with their loved one. He stopped at the door and took one last look around then shook his head in disappointment. It was the same as before. It was the same as always. Khan was enjoying himself in the company of others who seemed like they were happy to be around him. The couple at the bar. The bartender leaning against the cooler. They didn't really care about him at all. They didn't even hear a word he said. It would have been impossible for them to anyway. They were all dead.

_Gonna hit the ground  
Take another swing  
Have another drink  
Gonna drink it dry  
Gonna get me high  
Come on all the boys  
Make a noise _

_Have a drink on me  
Have a drink on me  
Have a drink on me_

_

* * *

**Songs:**_

**"Lady Marmalade" by Patti LaBelle**

**"We Are Family" by Sister Sledge**

**"Have A Drink On Me" by AC/DC**


	30. The Party Scene pt 1

**XXIX**

Ziggy walked into the lab but couldn't find him anywhere. In the distance he heard a low humming and decided to follow the noise. Sure enough, he saw Pixel in another room working on an enormous blue sphere of energy caged in glass and decided to join him. As he grew closer, two glass doors slid open much to his surprise and allowed him to enter.

"What are you doing here?" Pixel asked as he ran a few commands on a small kiosk. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for tonight?"

"No way!" Ziggy shook his head. "There's people out there who want to kill me!"

"Well of course there are. We've had to deal with Khan and Remus too, you know."

"I'm not talking about them! Last night!" He looked around suspiciously. "Last night I ran into a bunch of creeps who thought I was some sort of god!"

"Huh." Pixel grinned at the thought. "Really? _You_?"

"Yeah…" Ziggy suddenly took offense. "Wait, why is that funny?"

"It just is. I mean who in their right mind would believe you were a god?"

"Well what's wrong with that?"

"Oh, come on Ziggy. You eat a lot, you've got the mind of a seven-year old, you're hyper and you have this unnatural fear of dinosaurs and you're telling me people are passing you off as a messiah? I'm not buying it."

"What do you mean 'unnatural'? It's _perfectly_ natural! Dinosaurs are creepy-looking! Lay off!"

"You've never even seen a real one before in your life! No one has!"

"Yes I have!"

"Barney doesn't count!"

"Well what about--"

"That was Robbie in a costume, remember?"

"Look, whatever! The point is that those people worship me! They idolize me!"

"Oh, _now_ you're looking on the bright side of all this?"

"Yes! Just to prove you wrong and show you that I can be respected without you or the others!"

"Come on, Ziggy. Don't be like that. You know you're a valuable asset to the team."

"It hasn't been like that lately, if you ask me."

"You do your part."

"Yeah, when I have to beg for it! I mean take right now! Why don't you give me something to do?"

"No!" Pixel didn't waste time protesting. "…Uhh… no."

"What are you working on, anyway?"

"This…" Pixel began as he continued typing into the kiosk. "…Is the castle's main energy source. It's the core and central nervous system of all the electrical components that build up this place. I'm simply rerouting some electrical currents into the Grand Hall for tonight's party."

"Why?"

"We're gonna need a lot of lights to make it look good."

"Oh." Ziggy nodded. "Wait a minute. You're just doing this to impress Claudette, aren't you?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Uh-huh. Thought so."

Pixel walked over to a wall panel and typed in a few keys that revealed a hidden power box. "Come here, Ziggy. You can make yourself useful after all."

"What do you need me to do?"

"I'm going to hand you these wires. Plug the red and yellow ones into the black outlets. Those ones over there, do you see them?"

"Uh-huh."

"And just hang onto this white one while I switch on the transference device."

"Okay…" Ziggy carried the wires over to the other side of the room, where three black outlets were spread across the wall. "All right. Red wire… yellow wire… white--"

"Ziggy, don't!" Pixel stopped him just in time.

"Huh what!?" He noticed the white wire was just inches away from touching the outlet. "What's wrong?"

"Did I say plug the white wire into the outlet?"

"Uhh… yes?"

"No! I just said for you to hold onto it!"

"Well why don't I just--"

"You don't plug the white wire into the outlet!"

"Why not?"

"It would be bad. Very, very bad. It would corrupt the energy core and cause a minor explosion that would be more than enough to kill you. Not to mention the fact that it could cause a radiation leak in the entire engineering room."

"Wow. That would be bad."

"Exactly. Try to be more careful, Ziggy. Please? I'm not Sportacus, you know."

---

_You're in my arms  
And all the world is calm  
The music playing on for only two  
So close together  
And when I'm with you  
So close to feeling alive_

The hall was filled with people around 8:00. The king and queen, dressed in their most elegant attire, addressed the crowd and welcomed them into the palace. The lights were shining brightly thanks to Pixel's tampering with the engine room in the lab. The decorations were well placed and the chandelier that dangled above them added that extra sparkle thanks to Ozymandias' watchful eye. It was like some clichéd party straight out of a fairytale minus the grotesquely large wigs and puffy dresses that made the women look like marshmallows.

There was a full band onstage, dishing out several calm and relaxing melodies that brought the people together on the dance floor. For those who had never experienced so much as a flicker of love, they soon began to feel it with their partner. For those who already knew what it meant to be in love, their movement against the music only strengthened their bond and made them that much happier to be with them.

_A life goes by  
Romantic dreams will stop  
So I bid mine goodbye and never knew  
So close was waiting, waiting here with you  
And now forever I know  
All that I wanted to hold you  
So close_

But there were some just weren't feeling the love that night. Stingy sat alone at the bar, finishing his second glass of wine and watched from afar as Trixie and Leon enjoyed their time together. Trixie. His Trixie. The one girl he had truly fallen in love with was now dancing to the soft romantic music with someone else. Someone who wasn't him.

"Oh, Trix…" He sighed as he dropped his head on the table. "…What did I do to deserve this?"

In another part of the hall, Rottenella, now going under the name 'Desirée', was escorted down the steps by her future husband. She wore a simple mauve evening dress that matched Robbie's indigo pinstriped suit and the two wasted no time joining the others on the dance floor.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look?"

"Only about a hundred times." She joked.

"Well I never get sick of it."

As they danced about, Ziggy crept up from behind a table and hurried his way to another. He ducked low and shifted his eyes then headed for another. And another. And another.

"So many people…" Ziggy looked around in a panic as he slowly walked past several attendees. "…They could be anywhere… anyone… oh God…"

Amelie, wearing a beautiful cyan dress that really brought out the blue in her eyes, noticed Ziggy acting strange as she danced with Demetrius.

"Ziggy looks lost, no?"

"That boy has problems." He chuckled softly. "One day he'll find what he's looking for and wish he never did."

Sportacus, wearing a simple black suit and tie of all things, held his beloved close as they danced in a circle, completely ignoring the world around them. She rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes, feeling his heart beat in tune with the music.

_So close to reaching that famous happy end  
Almost believing this was not pretend  
And now you're beside me and look how far we've come  
So far we are so close How could I face the faceless days  
If I should lose you now?_

"I didn't think we'd ever find each other again." She confessed in his ear. "I truly thought you were never coming back home."

"If I wasn't bound by my duty, I would have come back sooner for you." He whispered softly. "You know that."

"I do."

_We're so close  
To reaching that famous happy end  
And almost believing this was not pretend  
Let's go on dreaming for we know we are  
So close  
So close_  
_And still so far _

As they danced some more under the warm lights, he could feel a certain uneasiness within her. He stopped in his tracks and pulled away to see her bittersweet expression.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, of course not. It's just…"

"What?"

"Last night was…Last night was magical."

"It was."

"Do you…" She hesitated. "…No."

"What is it?"

"Do you want to leave early and…"

He was almost blushing at the idea but nodded with a smile. "Let's go."

_**"MOOOOOOOO!!!"**_

Entering the dance floor, disrupting several of the couples, was Clyde. He was wearing a cardboard box over his body and a shoe box over his head decorated like a cow, a pair of novelty glasses that sprung out a pair of eyeballs, a feather duster for a tail and he was rolling along the floor on all fours wearing two pairs of roller skates. He intentionally ran into people and disrupted the romantic atmosphere while trying to maintain his balance.

"Clyde!" Sportacus gasped. "Oh no…"

"MOOOO!"

"That's Clyde!?" An amused Trixie began to laugh. "Oh my God!"

"Clyde!" Sportacus ran after his nephew. "Clyde, come back here!"

Sportacus was now frantically chasing a roller-skating cardboard cow with springing eyeballs around the hall without any sign of catching him. But when all hope of calming him down was lost, she appeared in all her magnificent glory. She slowly descended from the steps wearing an elegant pink gown with a lavender sash gently wrapped around her waist and a silky rose-colored wrap that she held close against her bare shoulders.

When Clyde noticed her coming down, he slowly came to a stop and brought all four of his limbs inward to help lift him back on the ground. After tossing away the skates on his hands, he removed his mask and novelty glasses as he became totally transfixed on her indescribable beauty.

"Clyde…" She said with a grin. "That's enough."

"Too true, little lady." He said in his best John Wayne. "Whaddya say, pardner? Shall we tango?"

"Bring it."

With a nod, he ripped off his cardboard box with ease to reveal an entire suit neatly tucked beneath it all. He took her by the hand and led her to the dance floor, ready to show off his dancing skills to the crowd as the band started a new song.

_I can dim the lights  
And sing you songs full of sad things  
We can do the tango just for two  
I can serenade and gently play  
On your heart strings  
Be your Valentino just for you_

_(Ooh love Ooh lover boy)  
What ya doin' tonight, (hey boy)  
Set my alarm, turn on my charm  
That's because I'm a good old fashioned lover boy_

Their hands locked together, faces leaning close, her other hand on his shoulder, his on her waist, they plowed through the gathering crowds and left them at their mercy. He quickly turned her around and led her to the other side of the hall but she was willing to follow him all through the night.

_Ooh let me feel your heartbeat  
(Grow faster faster)  
(Ooh) can you feel my love heat  
Come on and sit on my hot seat of love  
And tell me how do you feel right after all  
I'd like for you and I to go romancing  
Say the word your wish is my command_

_Ooh love Ooh lover boy  
what ya doin' tonight hey boy?  
Write me a letter, feel much better  
And use my fancy patter on the telephone_

They took center stage and kept the crowds wanting more as they spun around with their bodies held close and the music calming down for a brief moment.

_When I'm not with you  
Think of you always I miss you  
(I miss those long hot summer nights)  
When I'm not with you  
(Think of me always, love you, love you)_

He dipped her slowly and arched over her, his face smoothly caressing her exposed and dainty neck. She couldn't help but giggle from his touch. When the music picked up the pace, he pulled her back up and spun her around much to their audience's joy.

_(Hey boy where did you get it from?  
Hey boy where did you go?)  
I learned my passion  
In the good old fashioned school of lover boys_

_Dining at the Ritz we'll meet at nine precisely  
(One two three four five six seven eight nine o'clock)  
I will pay the bill, you taste the wine  
Driving back in style in my saloon will do quite nicely  
Just take me back to yours that will be fine  
Come on and get it  
(Ooh love)  
there it goes again  
(Ooh lover boy)  
There he goes again just like a good old-fashioned lover boy  
(what you did tonight hey boy?)  
Ev'rything's all right just hold on tight  
That's because I'm a good old (fashioned) fashioned lover boy_

They finished their dance with their arms held high, hands clamped and her left leg wrapped around his waist and supported by his right hand. They smiled at each other and breathed heavily while their gazing admirers surrounded them with a massive round of applause.

Stephanie lowered her leg and wrapped her arms around her beloved, bringing him in for a long and passionate kiss. He returned the favor without hesitation and when they parted, they tilted their heads back and took in another breath of fresh air.

"_Cara mia_…"

"_Mon cher…"_

* * *

**Songs:**

**"So Close" by Jon McLaughlin**

**"Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy" by Queen**


	31. The Party Scene pt 2

**XXX**

**(insert your own joke here)**

Pixel arrived on the scene wearing a stylish black suit with a blue shirt and orange tie. He looked around the crowd and could see they were gathering around Stephanie and Clyde, who had just finished their tango. Amelie was with Demetrius. The king and queen sat on their thrones holding hands. He could see Sportacus and Helmina holding each other close in the far back. Robbie and Desirée were close by and Louie, The Professor and Jasper were shyly hanging around the catering tables. But no. No sign of Claudette anywhere. He saw a disgruntled Stingy sitting alone at the bar, drowning his sorrows in several glasses of champagne and decided to join him while he waited.

"Hitting the sauce pretty hard, aren't you?" He joked as he pulled up a seat next to his old friend. "You, sir, look like a man with a guilty conscience."

"Oh…" Stingy kept his head low on the table and his hand fixed on the glass. "…Pixel, the only crime I'm guilty of committing is falling in love with my best friend."

"Whoa." His eyes widened. "I assume you told her this by now?"

"Of course I did."

"And how did she take it?"

"Oh…" He groaned before downing another glass.

"That bad, huh?"

"She didn't think I was serious."

"Are you?"

"Yes… God, yes. I love her. I love her, Pixel. I love her!"

"Well don't tell _me_! It's _your_ job to go and settle this once and for all!"

"But she's with _him_!" He pointed across the room with a venomous hiss.

"Whoa, is that Leon? Guy can pull off a suit…"

"Pixel!"

"Sorry."

"Hey, guys." Ziggy appeared with a mouthful of food and a skewer in his hand. "What's going on?"

"Stingy's in love."

"Bye!" Ziggy immediately wandered in the other direction.

"Cheer up, Stingy." He patted him on the back. "Hey, watch this. Ziggy, look out! Those guys in the funny robes are back!"

"AAAAHHH!"

Ziggy tossed his kebob and ran for the exit, dodging a beautiful woman in a blue crystal studded gown. She seemed lost at first, searching high and low for someone as if she was supposed to meet them here in the hall. This stirred an uneasy feeling within the Gizmo Guy but when she immediately took notice of him and waved, he wiped the bit of drool from his lip and rushed over to her.

"See ya later, Stingy!"

"Yeah…" He grumbled. "…Have fun…"

_So long  
I've been looking too hard, I've waiting too long  
Sometimes I don't know what I will find  
I only know it's a matter of time  
When you love someone  
When you love someone_

_It feels so right, so warm and true  
I need to know if you feel it too_

Pixel greeted the ravishing young beauty with a kiss on the cheek, which made her giggle and blush. He took her by the hand and led her onto the dance floor as another slow song began.

"I didn't think you were going to make it."

"A girl's got to look her best on a night like this, don't you think?"

"True. But it's not like you have to make an effort."

"Well aren't you smooth?"

"Like a baby's bottom."

She couldn't help but laugh out loud as she drew herself closer to him. There was something about his odd sense of humor that she found charming but couldn't quite explain it. It didn't matter. She was in his arms for tonight and quite possibly the only night. She had a duty to her kingdom and she couldn't afford to have a meaningless fling with an outsider. A young, brilliant and inventive outsider but an outsider nevertheless.

_Maybe I'm wrong  
Won't you tell me if I'm coming on too strong?  
This heart of mine has been hurt before  
This time I wanna be sure_

_I've been waiting for a girl like you  
To come into my life  
I've been waiting for a girl like you  
A love that will survive  
I've been waiting for someone new  
To make me feel alive  
Yeah, waiting for a girl like you  
To come into my life_

"Will ya look at all them purty-lookin' women?" Jasper whistled as he and the bachelors stood awkwardly at the refreshment table. "I reckon I make 'em a bit jealous on account of how dang sexy I look."

"Yeah. Thure." The Professor rolled his eyes. "Thath definitely the cathe."

There was a group of young attractive handmaidens practically lined up at the wall, waiting for someone to take them out for a dance. One in particular, a fiery redhead with a long red dress, adjusted her bosom and winked at a very nervous Louie.

"Gee, fellas." Louie gulped. "I don't feel comfortable staring at all of those women. I'm a married man, for God's sake! Alice would kill me if she knew I was flirting around with someone else!"

"Then make way for the single guys, ya yellow-bellied mule!" Jasper spat into his hand and greased his hair before approaching the ladies. "C'mon, boys! It's a buffet!"

"Dramatik, are you coming!?" The Professor looked back as he followed the country bumpkin.

"Oh, very well!" The thespian posed for a brief moment then sought out a date.

_You're so good  
When we make love it's understood  
It's more than a touch or a word we say  
Only in dreams could it be this way  
When you love someone  
Yeah, really love someone_

Trixie held him close to her as they slowly moved around in circles. She liked his warm and surprisingly gentle touch but there was something about him she couldn't quite make out. Or maybe it wasn't him at all. Maybe it was her. There was a tension weighing down on her but she tried to ignore to the best of her ability.

"Trixie?" He whispered into her ear.

"Yeah?"

"What made you…" He paused for a brief moment to take in her sweet smell. "…What made you want to come here as my date?"

"Let's just say there are some people you think you know but they turn out to be someone else entirely."

"Are you talking about Stingy?"

She simply nodded and buried her face into his chest, her hands tightening against the back of his neck.

"Did you and Stingy…"

"He doesn't matter right now."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm not."

"Do you really mean that?"

She didn't know how to respond. From the corner of her eye, she could see him drinking at the bar with his head still on the table. He was hurting bad. And she knew he would only hurt more unless she did something about it. But that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

_Now, I know it's right  
From the moment I wake up till deep in the night  
There's no where on earth that I'd rather be  
Than holding you, tenderly_

_I've been waiting for a girl like you  
To come into my life  
I've been waiting for a girl like you  
And a love that will survive  
I've been waiting for someone new  
To make me feel alive  
Yeah, waiting for a girl like you  
To come into my life_

"All right, ladies and gentlemen!" The lead singer of the band took a moment to interact with the audience. "We've got another slow song for all you lovebirds out there! So grab a partner and spend some time dancing under the moonlight!"

"We're indoors!" Ritchie could be heard yelling.

"Yeah, _stupid_!" Gloria fired as well.

"Okay, then!" The dopey singer winked at them and began another song.

_Would you dance if I asked you to dance?  
Would you run and never look back?  
Would you cry if you saw me crying?  
Would you save my soul tonight? _

"Another slow song?" Stephanie winced. "That's all they've been playing!"

"Yeah…" Robbie nodded. "It's getting nauseating! Pinky, do something!"

_Would you tremble if I touched your lips?  
Would you laugh oh please tell me this._

"You know, I really hate this song." Desirée grit her teeth. "Every time I hear it, I want to pound someone's face in and spit down their throat."

"I've got an idea…" Stephanie gave her friend a mischievous look. "What do you say you and I, uhh…"

She grinned and knew exactly what she was thinking of. "…Oh, yeah. Let's go."

_  
Now would you die for the one you love?  
Hold me in your arms tonight?_

They walked onstage with their hands behind their backs and smiled at the onlookers below. The two young woman eyed each other and waited for the right moment for them to act.

_I can be you hero baby  
I can kiss away the pain  
I will stand by you forever  
You can take my breath--_

Stephanie interrupted the song when she placed the singer under a headlock and dragged him backstage, where Desirée followed with the microphone stand. Everyone in the crowd then heard a crash followed by the sound of a man's screaming being cut off.

After a brief moment of silence, the two young ladies took the stage and their respective places. Stephanie picked up the lead guitar while Desirée adjusted the microphone on the new stand that was before her.

"Sorry about that." The raven-haired beauty winked. "There's gonna be a significant change in tonight's entertainment. Hope you all don't mind."

Stephanie grinned as she tuned her guitar and faced the other members of the band. "All right, guys. This one's an old Joe Walsh riff in A-minor. Start me off with a nice rim shot, watch me for the changes and try to keep up."

Just as she had ordered them to do, the song began with a quick rim shot and soon Stephanie's expert guitar strumming officially kicked off the real party. The groups branched out and started dancing in place, enjoying a significantly different song than the previous ones they had heard before.

The soon-to-be Mrs. Rotten clapped her hands and took to the microphone and began singing:

_We get up early and we work all day.  
We put our time in 'cause we like to stay up  
All night long. All night long._

Stephanie played with her guitar and nodded with approval of the band's ability to keep up the pace. Then it was her turn to sing:

_We keep on grinnin' 'til the weekend comes.  
Just a pinch between your cheek and gums.  
All night long. All night long._

They laughed and moved with the music before they came together and sang the next two verses in perfect harmony:

_Start in the morning and get the job done.  
Take care of business and we have some fun.  
All night long. All night long._

_We like a long neck and a good old song.  
Turn it up and then we'll sing along. Sing along!_

_But oh, we're stayin' up all night long._

At this point in the song, Stephanie broke out with another guitar solo and got everyone in the crowd pumped up and excited. The band did their job surprisingly well, considering what their usual singer had them play on a regular basis. They didn't seem to mind this fast-paced and energetic beat that was pouring from their instruments.

Stephanie's musical bombardment had now gotten to the point where everyone was jumping up and down in place, shouting and exclaiming together as one:

_ALL NIGHT LONG!  
ALL NIGHT LONG!_

_ALL NIGHT LONG!  
ALL NIGHT LONG!_

After the song came to a close, Stephanie, Desirée and the band took a bow. And that's when the doors came flying into the hall. A small explosion set from outside caused a trail of smoke to engulf the entire dance hall while the people scurried about in a panic. Pixel, Trixie, Leon, Clyde and Ziggy rushed onstage with Stephanie to get a better look of what was going on.

"Do you see anything?" Leon asked.

"No…" Stephanie shook her head then noticed something unusual. "…Wait a minute."

They came rushing in, armed to the teeth with guns and ammunition, firing several warning shots into the air. They were all dressed in black and each person wore a different type of Oriental mask to hide their faces.

"Everybody on the ground now!" The leader of the group ordered.

He was tall, well-built and wore a red dragon mask to conceal his identity. He pointed his machine gun at those who refused to get down and warned them again.

"I said on the floor!"

"The one day I don't wear my tracksuit…" Sportacus rolled his eyes with his hands in the air as he slowly lowered himself to the floor.

They had the entire place surrounded. Nobody wanted to act recklessly so soon for the sake of those who couldn't defend themselves. They had to wait for the right moment. Stephanie, on the other hand, wasn't as obliging.

"I've got to do something." She muttered under her breath.

"This is bad…" Ziggy said as he continued chewing on his kebob. "… God, I hope they don't turn over the buffet table."

"Wait…" Stephanie noticed the sharp skewer he had in his hand. "Ziggy, give me that!"

"Huh?"

She took the sharp rod from him and studied it closely before noticing the suspenders he was wearing with his tux. Another mischievous smile spread across her face.

"Ziggy?"

He noticed the skewer in her hand and the expression on her face. "Yeah?"

"Bend over."

"What?"

"Bend over."

"Come again?"

"I said bend over!"

"Stephanie, I'm not that kind of boy!"

"Just do it!"

With a groan, he did as she ordered and was surprised to feel his suspenders being pulled away from his trousers. Combining Ziggy's straps and his skewer into a makeshift bow and arrow, Stephanie took aim and flung the metal rod across the room.

"Now, listen up! My boss has orders for us to--"

He was interrupted when the sharp object impaled his chest and disoriented him for a moment before realizing he was in fact dying. He fell to the floor as the others retaliated by shooting at the stage, where Stephanie activated the Earth amulet and raised a protective wall of rock from the ground to protect her friends.

Sportacus seized his opportunity and began wailing on the bad guys left and right until he came back to back with his old friend. There they held that position and began taking out all-comers that foolishly came their way.

"Sportacus!" She punched one in the face. "We're surrounded!"

"It seems that way." He kicked a gun out a mobster's hand and smacked him around a bit. "Guess we have no choice but to stop them all one by one!"

"With pleasure!"

Using the combined powers of the amulets, she surrounded Sportacus and herself with a pulsating energy bubble and sealed it off with more rock. After a few seconds, the rocky sphere exploded and the two were now in full costume, picking off their enemies in what appeared to be an homage to a classic TV sitcom from the 60s complete with mod music that seemed to appear from out of nowhere.

"Holy mobster masquerade, Sportacus!"

"Easy, old chum. We can take them."

"Sportacus, your left!"

_**WHAM!**_

"Thanks, Stephanie! Watch out!"

_**POW!**_

"Thanks, Sportacus! Up and over!"

_**THWACK!  
**_

"Watch your right!"

_**BIFF!  
**_

"Behind you!"

_**ZAP!**_

"Again!"

_**SOCK!**_

"Sportacus! Fastball Special!"

Sportacus kneeled and grabbed Stephanie by her feet and launched her across the room, where she tackled into the remaining group of masked men and beat them senseless. As everyone sighed with relief, an electrical flow appeared within the room and startled everyone. The fight wasn't over. Materializing from the energy was a familiar face that nobody was expecting to see.

"Oh no…" Stephanie gasped. "It can't be…"

"Hello, Stephanie dear." He grinned as his minions soon followed. "Did you miss me?"

"Remus."

"Nice party. I wasn't invited so I thought I'd crash."

* * *

**Songs:**

**"Waiting For A Girl Like You" by Foreigner**

**"Hero" by Enrique Iglesias**

**"All Night Long" by Joe Walsh**


	32. The Trinity Watch Strikes Back

**XXXI**

The guests in attendance were frozen with fear and confusion as another group of men with masks stormed inside the hall armed with their guns as Remus stood in the center of the dance floor surveying the area.

"Oh no!" Ritchie yelped. "It's Retard!"

"That's _Remus_ Tard, you insolent child!"

He raised his hand to strike him when Stephanie grabbed hold of him and pushed him back. "Leave him alone!"

"Impressive!" He grinned. "You've really come a long way, dear Stephanie."

"Hope you brought some more diapers, Remus, because I'm literally going to kick the crap out of you."

She cracked her knuckles and started for him but with a wave of his hand, he telekinetically pushed her across the room and into Sportacus, where they were both knocked against the edge of the stage.

"He's gotten stronger…" Sportacus groaned.

"Sorry, Sportacus…" She slowly removed herself from him and straightened her back. "…Ow. I think you're right."

The armed men in masks chuckled and held their guns close while Remus egged the pink one on. Somewhere in the crowd, the king let go of his wife's hand and proceeded to make his way in the middle of the room.

"Hal, what are you doing?" Jezelle gasped. "Get back here!"

"Just stay here, my love." He whispered to her.

King Hallbjörn walked right through the men and confronted the ringleader face to face without a single trace of fear in his eyes.

"Remus." He said softly. "Why have you come back?"

"Don't act so surprised, your majesty. You know what I want."

"You want chaos and destruction."

"Not entirely, no. Unlike Khan, I believe our differences can be settled in a more peaceful fashion without having to murder countless millions. I mean who am I supposed to rule over if I just go out and kill everyone? Not very smart, is it?"

"You're not ruling over anyone, Tard.

"Think about this, Hal. Think about your family. Your people. If I were to take control, their curse would be lifted and you can live your lives in peace and finally reach the other side in due time. What do you say?"

"I'm not giving you that book, Remus."

"You don't have to give it to me, Hal. Just tell me where it is and I'll get it myself."

"No."

"No, you say? Huh." He looked at all the masks staring at him. "He said no."

"As long as there is life within me and I am king of Aðalsteinn, no one shall reclaim that book and revive the terror that once plagued this kingdom. And even if I fell, there would still be three more heirs to the throne, who I know in my heart would _never_ bow to your demands."

Sportacus, Robbie and Clyde each tugged at their collars and gulped while Remus stepped closer to the king. He studied the man's unshakable expression and nodded with admiration.

"Well all right, then. I guess I'll just have to force the information out of you."

He placed his hands over the king's head and began to electrocute him, causing everyone in the crowd, especially his family members, to shout and scream.

"FATHER!"

Sportacus started for him but Robbie was quick to hold him back. "Hold on, Sportadoofus!"

"Robbie! Let me go!"

"No! We can't risk you getting killed too!"

"He's my father!"

"He's _our_ father!"

"YOU'RE NOT MY BROTHER!"

Taking a quick punch to the face, Robbie dropped to the floor and watched helplessly as Sportacus front-flipped his way towards their father's attacker.

"Remus!" He yelled as he pushed his father out of the way. "I won't let you kill my father!"

"Fine, I'll kill you instead!"

He lashed out at Sportacus with a powerful stream of energy that cut him across his chest and sent him flying into the crowd.

"SPORTACUS!" Stephanie screamed while her friends held her back.

"No! Magnus!" Helmina rushed over to his side while Jezelle and Ozymandias carefully removed the king from Remus's sight.

"Do you see what it's come to now!?" He shouted at everyone. "If you could just tell me where that damn book is, I'll let you all live! There won't have to be any more killings! Now if you're smart, you'll give me what I want!"

"Sportacus…" Stephanie began to breathe heavily. "Oh God… Oh God…"

"Calm down, Steph." Pixel said as he held her arms tightly. "We knew he'd come crashing in sooner or later."

"But _this_ wasn't supposed to happen."

"I know. But I think it's time we put our plan into action, don't you think?"

"Which plan?" Ziggy's jaw dropped. "Are you seriously telling me you left me out of the loop _again_!?"

"Not now, Ziggy." Pixel shushed him. "You ready?"

"Yeah." Stephanie nodded. "Let's do it."

"Wait a minute, he's got goons everywhere." Trixie whispered. "What are we supposed to do?"

"What we were trained to do."

A look of malice and pure hatred filled her eyes as Stephanie lunged forward with her fists drawn and knocked two men unconscious, stealing their weapons and igniting them with the Fire amulet. When she threw them in the air, they exploded and forced several of the others back while the team scattered about and began to fight.

Amelie and Demetrius drew out their wands and began disabling several of the men's weapons as they could while Louie, Dramatik, The Professor and Bob cowered under a table.

"What a way to end a party!" Louie moaned. "I don't want to be mailed back home to Alice in a box!"

"Hephaestus and Ares mock us from above at our own misery! Why!? Oh why!?" Dramatik threw a fit. "Have they no shame!?"

"Shut up, Drama Queen!" Bob growled as he kicked him in the face. "I don't know about youse guys, but I'm gonna go out there and kick some ass!"

The chubby pink rabbit moved from under the table and hopped onto the first henchman he saw. He blinded him with his long fuzzy ears and beat him over the head repeatedly, giggling like a maniac and hopped on over to his next victim.

"Now _this_ is why I came here!" He hollered while riding around on his newest opponent.

Trixie grabbed two empty skewers from a nearby table and fixed them in the back of her hair to keep it into a knot then charged into a group of masked men. They swung at her with their weapons but she quickly evaded each one and took them out with a blow to the face. She saw another coming right for her, aiming his gun and readying to shoot. Thinking fast, she pulled off her wrap and flung it outward, wrapping it around the barrel of the gun and yanking it away from her assailant. Once it was in her hand, she swung the rifle across the man's face and knocked him out cold.

"Not bad, little lady." Leon winked as he took out a thug of his own. "Not bad at all."

"Yeah, _you_ try doing this in heels!" She couldn't help but smile.

Meanwhile, Clyde back-flipped away from several gunshots and took to hiding behind the overturned tables as cover while humming his own theme music.

"_Da da da da da da…" _He hummed. _"Da da da da…"_

When the coast was clear, he pushed the table forward and leapt into the air with a punch for each of the gunmen that awaited him. He then dropped for a handstand and used his legs to bring them together and bump their heads.

"_Da da da da… I'm gonna get ya! I'm gonna get ya! Da da da da da da!" _

"You there! Don't move!" Another one appeared from out of nowhere and took aim. "Stay where I can see you!"

"_Da da da da da da… Hey, don't point that thing at me! Da da da da! I don't take crap from no one! Da da da da!"_

With his lightning fast moves, Clyde managed steal the man's gun, bend him over and press the barrel firmly against his anus.

"No!" He pleaded. "No! Wait!"

"_Da da da da da! Gonna bust a cap in yo ass! Da da da da da! Da da! Da da! Da! This dude is peeing his pants now! Da da da! His pants are soaking wet now! Da da da!" _

Pixel hurried over to the back of the stage and pulled out a case from the bottom of the band's equipment trunk. As he opened it, he felt the butt of a rifle catch him in his back. He fell to the floor and turned around to see two men pointing their weapons at him.

"What are you doing back here?" One of them cocked his rifle.

"Hey, take it easy! I'm just the band's manager! You guys need a publicist? I could get you the big bucks!" Pixel quipped.

"Shut up!" He kicked the Gizmo Guy in the stomach. "Now what's this thing you've got here?"

"That? Oh, it's nothing. Here, let me show you…" He reached into the case and pulled out a small device. "See, this is--"

"Give me that!" He snatched it away before he could activate it. "No funny stuff, boy!"

"Okay, okay! Fine! That's fine! Just lower your gun down, man! I'm nobody important! Just take it easy…"

"What's a band manager doing with something like this?" The other man asked. "You're not lying to us are you, boy?"

"Me? Of course not! That's just something to make the boys look appealing to the ladies! Hey! You guys look like you haven't gotten any action in a long time! Just press that blue button right there and all your problems are over!"

"Really?" He obeyed the young man's command. "How does it--Oh, GOD!"

The invisible rays that emitted from the machine passed through the two gunmen and disoriented them, giving off an unbalanced and uneasy feeling in their heads and stomachs.

"I'll take that, thank you." Pixel retrieved his little sickness inducer and switched it off. "Now then. I believe you hit me with your gun, yes?"

Pixel took the weapon and bashed assailant number one in the knees with it. He tossed it aside and turned to the other one.

"And _you_ kicked me while I was down, right? Oh, goody." He stood the man straight on his feet, spun around and kicked him across the face. "Wow! I think I felt your nose break! Sorry about that. Now if you'll excuse me, your boss is starting to get on my nerves."

Pixel returned to his case and took out what appeared to be a high-tech gun decorated with several knobs, switches and compartments spread across its black frame. He attached a familiar-looking device to the barrel and sealed it off with a pointed nozzle. After flipping a switch on the side, a low hum emitted from the gun itself and indicated the weapon was now ready to be used.

"Okay, Steph." Pixel stood up and stuck his head out from behind the stage. "Ready when you are."

While Pixel waited, Ziggy led a few of the masked men on a wild goose chase around the buffet table. He jolted to the left then to the right until finally sliding under the sheets and appearing on the opposite end.

"Stand still, damn it!" One of them aimed his gun at him.

"If I stand still, you'll shoot me!" Ziggy argued.

"That's the point!"

"Oh. Well why didn't you say so!?"

Without looking, he grabbed the first thing within reach and flung it at his opponent. The man in the kabuki mask soon found a pie in the face and a punch in the stomach before being turned over and used as a shield from the oncoming gunfire that was being unleashed by the others.

"Oh God! Oh Jesus! Oh Mary!" Ziggy screamed as he ran along the table, carrying the bullet-infested body.

When he heard the men stop to reload, Ziggy used this to his advantage and flung the dead body at them as a distraction. He kicked each of their weapons away and put them down for the count before recoiling from the fact that he had just used a dead man as a weapon.

"Oh gross!" He screamed. "Gross! Sick! Ugh!"

Back to the center of it all, Stephanie continued her work on Remus by encircling him with a ring of fire. He laughed this off, however, as he raised a pillar of rock from beneath his opponent to throw her down and break her link with the amulet.

"Amazing…" Remus grinned as he saw Stephanie coming back for him. "But I can play with fire too."

He waved his hand again and forced out a spiral of yellow and orange that Stephanie countered with the Water amulet. They stood across from each other with their powers forming into a knot and releasing a trail of hot steam. She then added the powers of the Wind amulet to try and push Remus further away from her.

"The Wind amulet!" He exclaimed. "Finally my collection can be completed!"

"Oh no, Remus…" She shook her head. "You're not stealing any power this time."

"Don't be so sure of yourself. That power _will _be mine!"

"Here's how I see it. You're going to get distracted somehow, I'm going to kick you in the nuts and then seal you off in a nice rock prison. How does that sound?"

"Like the imagination of some pink-haired seven year-old. Haven't you heard, Stephanie? Playtime is over!"

"My thoughts exactly. Now, Pixel!"

"What!?"

In a heartbeat, Pixel pulled the trigger and surrounded Remus in an intense blue energy that caught him totally by surprise. His blaze of fire and Stephanie's water funnel continued to meet in the middle and as the heavy steam grew, she slid beneath it for cover and nailed Remus with a kick to the groin. As he fell, she lifted her other leg to support him by the stomach and flipped him over, where he landed head-first onto the hard floor.

"He's down! Finish it, Pixel!" She ordered.

Remus winced in pain and squirmed on the hard flat surface as he felt all his magic energies leave his body. They floated towards the glowing blue light and into Pixel's contraption as the Gizmo Guy egged him on.

"Remember this beauty, Remus!? You used it to suck out all the magic energy from the air!"

"You used it to recreate the Earth amulet." Stephanie added as she jumped back on her feet. "Then Pixel and the others used it to open a portal and find your hideout."

Once he noticed the energy meter reaching full capacity, he switched the gun off and gave Stephanie the thumbs up.

"All done, Steph!"

While Remus took a moment to recuperate, Stephanie stood over him and pressed her boot firmly against his throat. "Remember your hideout, Remus? The black tower? Catalina? Yeah, you remember _her_, don't you? My exact copy. The one you made to tear me and Clyde apart. Your plan failed horribly, didn't it? It only made our bond stronger. I only regret that you had to kill that poor innocent girl as some sort of consolation to losing against me."

"You… You remember, do you?"

"I remember every horrible thing you've done to us since the day you came back to LazyTown."

"Well here I am, Stephanie. Powerless. Defenseless. Do what you must."

"I'm not going to kill you." She looked at him furiously. "Not yet, anyway."

Pixel, Trixie, Ziggy and the others stood around Stephanie and their fallen enemy while everyone else took a moment to catch their breaths and relax.

"Is that everyone?" Stephanie asked without looking away from Remus.

"That's all of 'em." Trixie nodded. "Jasper's rounding out the last few."

"Hey, I'm a-gonna need some more rope!" Jasper hollered from the back of the room.

"We got you, man!" Ziggy gloated. "Looks like you lose, sucker butt!"

"Yeah." Stephanie couldn't help but smile. "We got you. Wet Willy!"

"Gah!" He groaned at the touch of her wet finger probing his ear. "Stop it!"

---

Later that night, while the cleanup crew was busy restoring the Grand Hall, the medics were working on Halbjorn and Sportacus. The king had suffered some minor damage to the brain due to the electrical shocks but with their advanced technology, it was possible they could restore him back to normal. Sportacus, meanwhile, suffered a lengthy gash across his chest and was losing a lot of blood. While the doctors worked on him, Helmina sat outside his room, covered in his blood and sobbed in Desirée's arms.

"Helmina?" Robbie suddenly approached them. "How is he?"

"He's lost a lot of blood." Desirée answered for her. "But they're working on him as fast as they can."

"I shouldn't have let him face Remus alone." Robbie shook his head in regret. "I should have gone with him. I should have--"

"Robbie!"

"What?"

"There was nothing you could do. Knowing Sportacus, he wouldn't have wanted you to go with him anyway."

"How do you know?"

"Why else did he punch you out of the way?"

"Repressed anger from all those years of me trying to drive him out of town?"

"Robbie…"

"…God." He sighed in defeat. "Maybe you're right. But I still don't like the fact that I just sat there and watched him get hurt."

"He was only doing his duty." Helmina sniffled. "That's all."

In another part of the palace, Jezelle led Stephanie, Clyde, Trixie, Pixel, Ziggy and Stingy down a long dark corridor lit only by a few torches that hung on the walls. The bricks on the walls were old, cracked, worn out and dusty. The tiles on the floor looked the same, designed with unique patterns and designs and it became clear to Stephanie and her friends that this particular hallway was ancient compared to the modern look of the rest of the palace.

"Where are we going, your highness?" Stephanie finally asked.

She only responded with silence as she continued leading them through the passageway until they reached a round metal door with several ancient markings on it. She then reached into the front of her night gown and pulled out a slim brass key. After inserting it into one of the many keyholes that covered the door, she gave it a slight turn and stood back to watch the door roll over to the left.

"Follow me." The queen ordered them as she entered the next room.

One by one they entered the round tomb and saw a golden altar lying across from them. There was a table draped with an old brown cloth, several candles that were dimly lit and a small gold box with several stars etched around its surface. Jezelle approached the altar and picked up an old heavy black tome, flipping through the yellow and tan pages that once used to be white.

"Stephanie?" She turned to the young woman. "Do you know what this is?"

"I'm guessing it's the Blackheart?"

"Yes it is. As you can tell, we don't let many people come down to this part of the castle. In fact, there are many who don't even know it exists."

"Gee, I wonder why?" Trixie rolled her eyes.

"Trixie." Stephanie shook her head.

"I am entrusting you all with the secret of the location of this powerful and very important book." The queen continued.

"Why us?"

"I believe if worse comes to worse, our enemies will find the location of the book and it will be up to those who already know it to come down here and take it to another safe location."

"Right now only me, Uncle Sporty, Grandma and Grandpa are the only ones who know where the book is."

"What's in that box?" Ziggy pointed. "Is there candy?"

"Ziggy, are you freaking kidding me!?" Pixel groaned.

"What! I'm hungry! I haven't eaten since the party!"

"Yeah, so you're gonna munch on centuries-old candy?"

"Maybe it's like wine and it gets better with age!"

"Ugh. You're disgusting."

Jezelle opened the box and pulled out what appeared to be a small orb glowing a bright yellow with a crescent moon drawn on it.

"This is a Lunasphere. They're very rare to come by."

Stephanie suddenly felt drawn to its presence. "What does it do?"

---

"Little is known about it but the theories claim that a Lunasphere has the ability to grant its holder any wish he or she desires in times of emergency, desperation or emotional distress."

Ms. LaFleur sat in her chair, sipping a cup of tea while explaining the concept of a Lunasphere to her daughter's likeness. Robbie stood around listening in on their conversation while examining all the strange toys, dolls and puppets that surrounded the small house.

"The Lunasphere, however, remains a myth. Unlike your fiancé's story, where I actually believe he lost his memory sometime between his crash landing in LazyTown and his arrival at the orphanage."

"But why can't I remember anything _before_ that!?" Robbie fell to the old woman's feet.

"You're asking the wrong person, dear." She took another sip. "After all, I'm only a toymaker."

"I know… I know…" Robbie stood back up and dusted himself off. "I just thought you might have seen something or overheard something that could have led to my memory loss."

"Hmm."

Desirée noticed the look on the woman's face and placed her hand over hers. "What is it? What are you thinking of?"

"I'm thinking… actually, I'm _remembering_."

"Remembering what?"

"When I first lost my daughter, I felt so hurt and cheated from happiness that… I wished I could forget my feelings of pain and anger and just _forget_ it ever happened. Forget I even had a daughter to lose. If I forgot, there would be no more pain. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. But I don't regret it. Not one bit." She then looked up at Robbie, whose gaze was fixed on her. "Perhaps you should think about that before you go to sleep, dear."

"I…" He gulped. "…I'll do that, yeah. Uhh… you ready to go now?"

"Of course. Good night, Ms. LaFleur." She hugged the old woman and followed Robbie out the door, leaving the old woman alone with her thoughts.

---

It was late into early morning. The sky was still black, the moon was still out and the wind was picking up. The lights in the castle suddenly flickered on and everyone was suddenly put on high alert. Several guards escorted many of the Watchmen and royal officials downstairs and into the main hall, where Jezelle and Ozymandias waited for them. They stood in confusion wearing only their pajamas and sleepwear while the queen tried to settle them down.

"Easy, everyone!" She slightly raised her voice.

"What's going on?" Stephanie asked.

"It seems we've had another break-in." She waited for everyone to settle down again. "Calm yourselves, please! Louie?"

"It's true!" The CrazyTowner said out of breath. "I came into my room and they were gone! Both of them!"

"Who was gone?" Stephanie turned to him. "Louie, tell us!"

"Bob! Dramatik! They were taken!"

"How do you know!"

"Because Robbie and Desirée are missing too!" Amelie arrived with Demetrius. "They're gone!"

"So is Ziggy." Stingy appeared wearing his infamous flannel PJs. "He's not in his room."

"Oh my God…"

While everyone took yet another moment to speak out over the horror amongst themselves, Pixel gave Stingy a once-over and chuckled.

"Nice boxing gloves."

"Shut up."

"Wait a minute!" The Professor spoke out. "How can Bob me mithing!? He wath thleeping in my coat!"

The Professor reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a long slender pink object and shrieked at the sight of it. "GAAH! Thath not Bob!"

"That's mine!" Ozymandias swiped the object away in record speed. "I was looking for that everywhere!"

"Wait, thath not a rabbit! That looked more like a… a…. ith that what I think it ith?"

"Uhh… well… uhh…"

"It ith, ithn't it!?"

"It's for my back!"

"What?"

"Honest! Look, I'll show you!" He switched the object on and placed the object against his back, feeling the vibrations running through his body. "See? SEE!?"

"Look, can we _focus_ please!?" Stephanie tried to regain order. "Stingy, you said Ziggy's gone? Amelie, you said Robbie and Desirée aren't in their room? And Louie, you said Bob and Dramatik are missing? You think they were kidnapped by someone? What makes you think that?"

"Because Tombstone is missing as well." Helmina walked down the stairs with a pale expression. "It's possible he escaped somehow and took them somewhere."

"What about Remus?"

"He's still in his cell." Jezelle answered.

"Take me to him."


	33. Interrogation

**_A/N: I've got a deadline to meet now. Expect updates DAILY_**

**XXXII**

Remus sat down at the table with his hands cuffed in front of him. The room was empty and dark with only a bit of light flickering from the yellow bulb dangling above him. He saw the large rectangular window across from him and knew right away he was being watched. With a grin, he lifted both of his arms and waved as the rusty metal door opened.

"Now what are you doing up past your bedtime?" He asked mischievously. "You should be getting your rest."

She ignored him and pulled up a seat across the table. With a sigh, she leaned in closer and looked into his hazy green eyes.

"My friends are missing." She finally said.

"Really?"

"Don't act surprised."

"Well what do you want me to do?"

"Tell me where they are."

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"If I told you where they were then the game would be over."

"This isn't a game, Remus."

"It's not?"

"People's lives are at stake here."

"Now how would you know that? Hmm? Do you assume that just because your friends have been plucked from their cozy little beds that they're lives are automatically in danger?"

"Then how do you explain Tombstone escaping?"

"Escaping? Well that's funny…"

"What is?"

"Well the last I heard, Tombstone was all locked up in his cell with no way out."

"Who told you that?"

"I have my resources."

"The same that could have sprung him out?"

"If that's what you believe." He sat back in his chair. "Do you believe somebody busted him out?"

"It's possible. There were no signs of a break-in."

"Well there you go. But the question now is 'who let him out'? And 'why'? Can you answer that for me?"

"Cut the crap, Remus. Tell me where they went!"

"Look, I've got to be honest with you. There _was_ a plan. Sneaking in and busting our old pal Tombstone out of the pigpen was part of it. Taking off with your friends? That was a bonus. But me losing my powers? Well that was a total surprise, I can tell you."

"Remus, I know you and Khan are in this thing together. You want control over the Shadow Dragon and you need the Blackheart to do it."

"And I also need the powers you just took from me."

"What does he want with Tombstone and my friends?"

"Khan's merely putting together a small task force to come in and raid the palace."

"The mobsters weren't enough?"

"The mobsters are merely a diversion. We need somebody to do the grunt work while we work out the kinks of our master plan."

"And my friends?"

"Well…" He chuckled. "If you want my advice, I'd say give the man what he wants."

"What?"

"Your friends for the Blackheart."

"No."

"Then you can forget about them."

"Remus, you can't do this. You're not like him. You said it yourself. You've got to help us. Please!"

"I do admit I'm not really fond of his views on death. He thinks murder is a type of art form that takes years of mastering. The man would know, wouldn't he?"

"Remus, I need to know where they're being held!"

She slammed her fist against the table, which caught Remus totally by surprise and left her puzzled as well. Another wide grin spread across his face as he studied her angered and frustrated expression.

"You're changing, Stephanie."

"What?"

"I can feel it. The darkness is eating away at your very soul and at the rate you're going, there won't be a way out. You'll be like us. Like me. Like Reiko. And like Astral."

"Astral found a way out."

"And what makes you think you'll be as lucky?"

"Remus…"

"…All right." He sighed and straightened himself. "Even if you were to find their location, you'd have to get past the mob."

"No problem."

"So you say. But think about this. These guys are paid professionals and they live by a code of honor. Yes, it sounds hard to believe but trust me. You can torture them, rip them to shreds or even threaten to kill their families but--"

"That's horrible."

"But they will _neve_r give you what you want."

"Then how do I…"

"You go through the head of the crime family. Or in this case, _families_."

"Families?"

"In order to take control of all the major crime syndicates, Khan made sure he wiped out every mob boss that ran every family. So long as he provides the check, they'll follow him into Hell. The only way they'll turn on Reiko is if one of the remaining gang leaders comes to reclaim them. But like I said, they're all dead."

Stephanie thought about it for a moment then looked up with a gleam of inspiration in her eyes. "Not all of them, Remus."

Just then, the door opened to reveal an out-of-breath Pixel and Stingy approaching Stephanie. She stood up from the table and waited for one of them to catch their breath.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Well…" Pixel paused. "…We can scratch one off the missing persons list."

"What do you mean?"

"We found Ziggy."

"You did? Where!?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Stingy nodded. "You'd better follow us."

---

"_Zül… Zül… Zül…" _

The drums started slow as the chanting grew from a soft whisper to a light chatter.

"_Zül… Zül… Zül…" _

The beat grew faster and the voices spoke louder, followed by the sudden eruption of torches.

"_Zül… Zül… Zül…" _

At rapid speed the drums and chanting were coming together as one while the flames swayed back and forth in a large circle as they approached the wicker throne that stood above them all.

"Zül!"

With a wave of his hand, the chanting stopped and the entire Right Fin bowed before Ziggy as he wore the wicker mask his followers made for him. He lifted it slightly to get a better look at his loyal subjects and stared down at them with a self-indulgent look on his face.

"My friends!" He called out to them. "I am deeply honored by this magnificent display of affection you have bestowed upon me! As a sign of thanks, you may come to me now and I shall answer all of your questions!"

"My lord!" One of the men in cloaks raised his hand.

"Yes! You down there!"

"Are you to change form again anytime soon?"

"Uhh… No, not really. But if I do, I'll let you know. Okay? Who's next?"

"My lord!" A young woman with a veil over her face approached Ziggy. "I have a question!"

"Sure thing, doll. Mind taking that mask off?"

"Very well."

She removed her veil to reveal a hideous set of teeth, boiling warts and a patch of facial hair running along her upper lip.

"GAH!" Ziggy shrieked.

"My lord, when will I find the man of my dreams?"

"_In_ your damn dreams!" He placed the veil back on. "Go on! Shoo!"

"O mighty Zül!" Another stepped up.

"Yeah?"

"Will you fulfill the prophecy?"

"Of course I will! What kind of a question is that!?"

"Forgive me lord!" He flinched. "I didn't mean to question the sacred articles by means of questioning you!"

"And what prophecy would that be?" A voice spoke out amongst the crowd, gathering everyone's attention. "The one where you get your head stuck in a vase or when you find a piece of candy so sweet that not even _you_ can handle it?"

"Pixel!" Ziggy stood up and waved. "What are you doing here?"

"No, what are _you_ doing here, Ziggy?" Stephanie revealed herself as well. "Don't you know we're all looking for you in the castle?"

"Really?"

"Yes, really! Everyone's gone missing and you're out here playing God!?"

"Hey, whoa! Cool it! I _am_ God!"

"Ziggy…" She walked up the steps and faced him. "What are you talking about?"

"To these people, I'm their sun and stars! Their Alpha! Their Omega! Their--"

"Ziggy!" Stephanie grabbed him by the ear and twisted slowly. "You're coming back with us _now_!"

"Don't you get it!? These people actually show me some respect! They don't treat me like a kid the way you guys do!"

"Ziggy, let's go!"

"Milord!" Balthazar hurried over to the two friends. "Are you in danger!?"

"Yes! Remove the pink one from my side!"

"Unhand the Almighty Zül, foul demon, before I--" He was interrupted by a boot to the face and went rolling down the steps.

"What are you guys going on about, anyway?" Stingy asked one of the Fins. "What's this prophecy you keep talking about?"

"It is said…" Balthazar paused to spit out a tooth. "…That Zül will one day release us from our prison and save us from those who have oppressed us!"

"You don't need Ziggy in a whale costume to save you!" Stingy argued. "We're working on it right now!"

"Ow! Ow!" Ziggy winced at the sharp pain in his ear as Stephanie dragged him away "Stephanie, wait! Ow! Stop it!"

"Let's go!" She maintained her grip and reentered the forest. "You can play with your friends some other night!"

"Stephanie!"

---

Stephanie, Pixel, Ziggy, Trixie and the rest of the team stood around in the study room, hovering above a map laid out on the coffee table. While they talked, an emotionally and physically distant Stingy stood by the doorway with his head down. He tried to avoid as much contact with Trixie as possible but when she noticed his lack of involvement, his plan was shot down immediately.

"Hey! Last time I checked, you were a part of this team!"

"Oh really?" He slowly walked over to the group. "Because the last time I checked, we were still a couple!"

"Guys, not now…" Stephanie shook her head. "We have to memorize the layout of this prison."

"Remind me what we're doing here." Ziggy spoke up. "Because it seems to me that you left me in the dark _again_."

"We're about to reclaim the crime families from Coast City under our command and leave Khan without anybody to do his dirty work."

"But how? I thought you said Khan killed all the mob bosses."

"Pretty much, yeah." She nodded. "But if memory serves me right, there are still two more in this prison who have the power and authority to bring them under control."

"Wait a minute…" Trixie's eyes widened as the thought entered her head. "You can't be serious, Pinky!

"Uh-huh." She rolled up the map and grinned. "We're gonna spring the Piranha Brothers."


	34. Return Of The Piranha Brothers

**XXXIII**

The bars rattled and the inmates hollered as they ran about the place, inflicting as much damage as they could against their overlords. The lights dangled and flickered while some of the bulbs exploded and shattered, sprinkling tiny little beads of orange and yellow on top of the crowded floor. The policemen and guards on watch tried to hold back the lines while they waited for the SWAT team to arrive but their patience as well as their strength was wearing out. One Molotov cocktail later and the entire bottom floor of the prison was set ablaze. The entire prison was now at the mercy of the ruthless inmates.

But up in a secluded cell just around the corner from all the rioting, two men sat alone on their bunk beds and listened to all the noise. The fat bearded one sighed and laid back on his bed while the tall thin one jumped off his top bunk and stuck his head through the bars for a better look.

"You should probably take a look at this, Douggie."

"Dins, get away from there."

"But look! They're all rioting!"

"Yeah? And!?"

"Well I mean… shouldn't we, er… y'know? Go out there and join 'em? It might be fun, y'know?"

"What? And get pummeled by a bunch of pigs in their fancy armor? Nothing doing."

"I just thought it would be a sign of camaraderie and brotherhood and all that rubbish the other inmates are always talking about."

"Yeah! It is! But once you get outside, they turn their backs on you willy-nilly, every man for themselves! It's all the same, y'know! One moment they're all 'please' and 'thank you' and the next, they'll kick you in the teeth!"

"Oh, dear. I don't like the sound of that!"

"Yeah, you see? That's why it's safer to just come back over here and wait till the whole thing blows over!"

The next thing they heard was the sound of engines humming directly above the prison roof. After that was a powerful hum that neither the Piranha Brothers nor the entire prison population could hear but somehow knew was the reason behind their sudden disorientation that led them to fall on the floor. The rioters and the police were closer to the noise and therefore felt the sharp ringing in their ears. They dropped on their knees in pain.

Afterwards, another explosion brought down a section of the roof and descending from a zip line were Clyde, Amelie, Demetrius and Ziggy. They landed on the floor of the building and were surprised to see the chaos that was already underway.

"Oh my goodness." Amelie gasped. "They are rioting."

"This wasn't part of the plan, was it?" Demetrius spoke through an earpiece.

"I say roll with it." Pixel's voice fizzed through the static. "It could be to your advantage."

"Or maybe not!" Ziggy shouted as several angry rioters headed his way. "Pixel, you've killed us all!"

Ziggy dodged a knife swing from one inmate and leaned back to avoid a thrashing from another. He rolled along the ground and swept the two men off their feet while Amelie and Demetrius activated their wands to hold back the line. Clyde, meanwhile, dropped on all fours and tackled a small group of guards that were readying their pepper spray.

"MOOOOO!" He snorted before turning into the Duke. "That pepper ain't strong enough to hold me back, pilgrim!"

"Search the grounds! We have to get the boys out of here fast!" Demetrius ordered before a rubber bullet caught him in the back.

"Demetrius!" Amelie rushed to his side. "Are you okay?"

"Rubber bullets!" He waved his wand. "Be careful!"

Suddenly, three SWAT members broke through the defenses and began pelting the magicians with a hailstorm of rubber. They fell to their mercy and dropped their weapons when another figure landed in the middle of the battleground, wearing a pink trench coat and matching fedora.

"My turn." She smirked.

Stephanie pulled a rioter from the crowd, kneed him in the stomach and used his back for support as she flipped into the air and drop-kicked the three policemen in a scissoring motion. She took one of their rifles and swung it across their faces in a straight line before using it as a barricade to push them back into the crowd.

"The Piranhas have to be here somewhere." She grabbed one of the men in uniform and lifted the mask from his helmet. "Where are the Piranha Brothers?"

"Who?" He quivered at the sight of her.

"Doug and Dinsdale Piranha. Where are they!?"

"I don't know!"

"You don't know?"

"Honest! I really don't! What are you--"

She punched him in the face and threw him to the side in a fit of anger. Amelie noticed this and raised a curious eyebrow, alarmed at the Pink One's sudden behavior.

"Stephanie?" She said softly. "Are you--"

"Losing my patience." Stephanie growled. "I'm going to check the upper levels. You stay here."

Using the power of the Wind, she lifted herself in the air and caused a massive current that blew several of the inmates and the police away. Stephanie landed on the top floor in Cell Block Number Nine and could see a few more men in jumpsuits escaping from their cells. She balled up her fists and stood patiently as they came charging for her armed with clubs, knives and broken bottles.

The first one to reach her swung his crowbar at her only to have it removed from his grasp and smashed against his head. The next two thought they could intimidate her with their puny knives but with quick thinking, she grabbed hold of their arms and sent the blades running through their own stomachs. She then used them as props to knock down three more men armed with bottles and grabbed one last assailant in a chokehold, forcing him to drop his lead pipe. The man struggled for air but Stephanie refused to let him go. The fire in her eyes said she wasn't ready to stop just yet so grabbed the man by the hair and bashed his head against the steel bars. She enjoyed the experience and did it again. And again. And again when suddenly…

"Oi" A familiar voice called out to her. "Are you having fun there?"

"Huh?" She looked around and dropped her opponent when she remembered who it was she was looking for. "Doug? Is that you?"

"Hey, she remembers us!" The fat one laughed. "What are you doing here? Come to gloat about your victory, eh?"

Stephanie approached the cell and with a wave of her hand, the bars were torn off. Naturally, Doug and Dinsdale were scared out of their minds.

"How did you do that?" Dinsdale gulped. "Your power wasn't that strong before!"

"It is now." She said. "You two are coming with me."

"What?"

"Are you crackers?" Doug gave her a confused look. "Do you mean to tell me that this is a jailbreak within a riot?"

"You two are coming with me." She repeated. "No arguments."

"Oh, come on. What's the catch?"

"I need you to gain control of the mob again. Khan's used them to kidnap my friends and I need to know where they're being kept. If I find them, I find Khan."

"And if you find Khan?"

"I'm going to kill him."

"Do you really mean that?"

"Let me put it to you this way. If you don't help me, I'll kill you and your brother right here and now just to prove my point."

"Douggie, I don't want to die!" Dinsdale shrieked. "Let's do what the pink lass says!"

"Hang on, what's in it for Dinsy and me?"

"You live."

"That all?"

"Keep your end of the bargain and I'll see to it that you're pardoned."

A gunshot from below was enough for Doug and Dinsdale to come aboard. They followed Stephanie down the steps and onto the ground level, where things between the cops and prisoners were getting worse. As the rope ladder from the Track One descended, the Watchmen and the Piranha Brothers hurried over to it hastily while trying to avoid more of the SWAT team's shots.

"They're getting away!" One of them cried.

"Stop them!" Ordered another.

Like a kung fu master, Clyde knocked out a couple of policeman and spoke to them in a way that his lips were out of synch with his voice. "Ha ha! I defeated you! …Now then! …Away I go! …Ha ha! We shall… meet again!"

They all climbed up the ladder and flew off as the entire prison went up in smoke. Once they were all settled, Doug and Dinsdale sighed from relief and nodded approvingly at the girl in the pink coat.

"Cheers, Pinky." Doug chuckled. "We owe ya one."

"Just make sure you keep your end of the bargain."

"No worries. They'll listen to us."

"Yeah and if they don't, it's a nail to the head!"

"What happened anyway?" Pixel asked. "Why was there a riot?"

"Somebody overflowed the only working toilet in the entire prison." Doug said with a serious look on his face. "No lie."

"Yup." Stephanie nodded. "That'll do it."

---

Coast City. A breeding ground for crime, despair, death and destruction. A place notorious for its gangs, mob families and drug dealers. Broken roads, run down buildings, old and dirty street signs, and sadly of all, no presence of the law in any corner of the broken metropolis. On the corner of Baker Street, Rusty's Bar. The usual meeting place for those in the underworld looking for a good time. A few drinks, a cheap hooker or two or just an excuse to get into a fight with someone and kill them, no questions asked.

Several family members now on Khan's payroll were there knocking back a few drinks and getting ready for their overnight haul. When the doors opened, three people with thick black dreadlocks walked in and immediately sat at the bar and placed their orders.

"Three Red Stripes! And make it fast, damn it!" One of them said in a thick Jamaican accent. "I don't know about you but me troat is dryer'n' me underpants!"

"Oh, de wife be holding back again?" Another asked with the same accent. "I tell you, just get a divorce mon! She ain't doin' no good keeping de fun out of yer life!"

"Why come we always hafta drink Red Stripe?" Moaned the other, also with a Jamaican accent. This one was a female, however. "I'm tired of this! Get me a Guinness! Now!"

"Sure thing, cutie." The bartender winked.

While the three unexpected visitors griped and kicked back a few drinks, the mobsters looked at each other puzzlingly and immediately grew suspicious.

"Hey." One of them, a gentleman in his thirties, said. "Who are you folks? Don't you know this is a private bar?"

"What you mean private bar!?" The youngest one looked around. "There be a sign outside! Dis ain't no private bar, you silly coconut blood clot!"

"Hey mon!" A fourth Jamaican entered the bar, one whose skin was darker than the rest and therefore less suspicious looking. "You got de party started wid out me, I see!"

"HEY MON!" The other three greeted in unison.

"Who are you guys!?" The gentleman stuck his hand inside his coat pocket, gently stroking the back of his nine mil.

"Hey, take it easy mon." The fourth one raised his hands slightly. "We just come here to have a few drinks, that's all."

"Yeah, lay off!" The tall muscular one snapped. "I had a hard day!"

"They say you get into trouble wit de law." The female said.

"Man, the boss be lying! I no do nothing wrong!"

"But de boss wouldn't lie to us!"

"You keeping secrets from us, boy?" The dark one grinned.

"NO!"

"You lie!"

"Okay, all right! Fine! I admit it! I done shot de sheriff! But me no shoot no deputy! Me swears it mon!"

"Ooh, you's in trouble now!" The lady laughed. "I read your fortune! You's gonna get into some trouble wit de boss mon!"

"What you know about me fortune, crazy witch lady?"

"Dem bones don't lie, boyfriend! Me swears it! Just last week, I was told I'd meet de mon of me dreams. You know what? It come true! I met him! He's a radiologist! I tink I love he!"

"If you people don't start answering questions…" The man finally pulled out his gun as the rest of the gang backed him up. "…I'm going to start shooting."

"Put that piece away mon. We mean you no harm. Besides, mine's bigger I tink."

"All right, that's it…"

"Here!" Doug entered the bar. "You just pull that trigger and I'll see to it that barrel goes straight up your arse and won't stop pluggin' ya till the gun goes 'click'. Got it?"

"D-Doug?" The man stuttered. "You're back?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"But you're supposed to be in jail."

"They let me out early."

"Are these people with you?"

"That they are, Mario. That they are." He went to the back of the bar and fixed himself a drink while he continued to chide the men. "Now then. You're looking good. That Reiko fella treating you good, yeah?"

"Reiko?"

"Asian bloke with a habit of blowing things up with his mind and such. I do believe he's your current boss."

"Oh… yes, well…"

"Well no matter. Now that I'm back, you boys will be working for me now. No ifs, ands or buts." He took a drink from his glass and smiled at the harlot that walked by him. "Well maybe a few butts. Lord knows it's been a while since I, erm… ha ha ha… well, y'know."

"Forget it, Piranha. Khan's a much better leader than you ever were." One of the mobsters said. "He's organized."

"Organized, you say? Tell me. What's this grand plan of his?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Cuz if you don't, I can have your entire family wiped out in a split second."

"…You're bluffing."

"Am I?" He took another drink. "Tell me, how's little Suzy and young Mikey?"

"My children are fine." He paused. "Why would… oh, God… what have you done?"

"Nothing yet. You backtalk me like that again and I'll see to it they'll never see the light of day. Now tell me what Khan's got in store."

"All right, calm down." Mario stepped in to ease the tension. "He's kidnapped some people from Aðalsteinn in hopes that this girl… uhh… Stephanie, or something like that, will give him this book in exchange for their freedom."

"Makes sense. Where's he keeping 'em?"

"I don't know." Mario shrugged.

"You don't know?"

"No. After Remus got busted at the palace, he told us to lay low and go about our regular day."

"The trafficking."

"Yeah."

"Where's Khan now?"

"He mentioned going to Mutari."

"Mutari?"

"Mutari?" Stephanie whispered to herself.

"Why's he going to Mutari?"

"I don't know, Doug." Mario shrugged. "He said something about his power waning and that the only way to regain his strength was by visiting 'an old friend'. I didn't know what he meant by that."

Pixel, hiding behind Clyde and Stephanie, quietly typed the information in his wristband and sent it out to the other team members who were already on standby.

"Well that was very enlightening and all…" Doug took yet another drink. "But I say it's time we went along our way and took care of that shipment!"

"You're coming with us?"

"Sure thing! In fact, I think I'll let my men personally handle the shipment! What do you say to that?"

"Sure."

"Okay."

"No problem."

"Why not?"

As they left the bar and loaded up the trucks with as many drugs as they could fit, Stephanie took to the driver's seat and placed her hands around the wheel. What awaited the unsuspecting mobsters was the craziest stunt that Stephanie had ever planned.


	35. A Darker Shade Of Pink

_**A/N: Be sure to leave all your sense of logic, reasoning and belief at the door. Seriously. There's so much BS in this chapter, my monitor is starting to stink. **_

**XXXIV**

It was inside the lab where Claudette received Pixel's message. With a gasp, she hurried over to her computer and alerted the away team via the communicator.

"Away team, this is Claudette." She radioed in. "Pixel has just sent me a message saying that Khan is in Mutari right now."

_"Mutari!?" _Demetrius's voice rang out as Astral walked in alarmed. _"Why's he going there for?"  
_  
"I don't know. That's all Pixel said."

_"We can't bail out on our mission now. We need those drug runners to meet us at the checkpoint so the Piranhas can round up everybody in the same place. They might need us in case something happens."  
_  
"I can send another team to check it out."

"No need." Astral interrupted. "I will go myself."

"Astral?" Claudette stood up from her seat.

"I'm sorry, miss." With a wave of his wand, Astral knocked Claudette unconscious and slowly placed her back in her seat. "But I can't have you telling them where I am."

Astral turned off the woman's headset and walked out of the room, ready to face the danger ahead of him. What he didn't see were the two ten year-olds who saw everything.

"Uh-oh." Ritchie gulped. "I think Astral's gonna go do something stupid."

"Uh-huh." Gloria nodded. "Think we should tell the others?"

"Nah." He shook his head. "I'm having too much fun spying on people!"

"Yeah, me too! Let's go sneak into Ozzy's room and see what he's up to!"

"Yeah! That guy's always doing weird stuff!"

---

There were four eighteen-wheelers loaded with drugs that drove along the ruined streets of Coast City. They were all disguised as carriers for industrial goods that were supposedly heading for Canada but in reality, their destination was just at the end of town. As she neared the tunnel that would take the group down Lancaster Road, Stephanie sighed with anxiety and lowered her face to the wheel.

"Something wrong, rosy cheeks?" Doug asked her.

"I can't believe I'm actually moving an entire shipment of drugs across town."

"Look, I told you! Don't worry about that! Once we get to the checkpoint, I'll talk some sense into the lads and rally 'em to our cause!"

"_Our_ cause?" She looked at him questioningly. "So you're one of us now, are you?"

"Don't get cute with me, darling."

_"Stephanie! Stephanie!" _

"Demetrius?" She heard his voice through her earpiece. "What is it?"

_"Khan's headed for Mutari!" _

"I know. One of the mobsters told us."

_"You don't understand! If he finds the source of power there, he'll return in all his glory! He'll be practically unstoppable!"_

"We'll have to wait it out. I have a job to do here first."

"_Stephanie, people will die! We'll have to send another team!"_

"They won't be able to hold their own against him."

"_But suppose his power really is waning, we--"_

"I'm the only one who can stop him! I've got the amulets! I've got the power!"

Frustrated, Stephanie removed her earpiece and tossed it in the back. She slowed the vehicle down once the traffic started to build outside the tunnel entrance. Her heart was pounding and the weight in her chest started to sink again. She turned to Doug and leaned over to open his door.

"Get out." She said.

"Eh?"

"I said get out."

"Steph, what are you doing?"

"I don't know. What I do know is that you won't survive one minute if you stay in here with me. So kindly leave."

"But our little mission…"

Stephanie parked the vehicle for a moment and went to the back of the cab to pick up her earpiece. "This is Stephanie. Bring the airship around after we enter the tunnel. Pick up Doug."

_"Stephanie, I don't think--"_

"Just do it." She then handed the piece over to the Piranha. "Go."

After he closed the door and left, she lowered her head again on the wheel and closed her eyes. She could feel the pressure of the magic energies stirring within her. And now it seemed that her mind was starting to play tricks on her. She could hear voices in her head. Voices that sounded like her own.

"_Do it. You're not a drug runner. You're one of the good guys, right?"_

"Yes."

_"Then do what you have to do."_

"I will…" She slowly shifted gears and advanced along the road and into the tunnel. "I'll do what I have to."

Once there was enough space to drift, Stephanie changed lanes and began speeding down the road in her humongous eighteen-wheeler. She caught up to one of the other drug carriers and waved at the driver. Confused, the driver waved back but was surprised when he saw the girl remove her wig to reveal a full head of pink hair. Even more startling was when she took out a gold medallion that began to glow red in the center.

At that moment, a ball of fire shot towards the other truck and blew it across the tunnel where it came into contact with oncoming traffic. Stephanie simply smiled at this and continued speeding down the road to catch up with the other two drivers. Some of the men behind her took notice of this betrayal and began shooting at her vehicle. Unafraid of their attempts to stop her, Stephanie played with the wheel of her truck and caused the enormous trailer behind her to sway back and forth. This led the two shiny expensive cars to crash into one another and make way for another group of henchmen.

"Oh, you want to play?" She giggled as she saw them from her rearview mirror. "Okay, let's play! Come on! Come on!"

---

"What do you mean she destroyed the other truck!?" Mario shouted through his cell phone as he rode passenger in the first carrier. He stuck his head out of the window and could see a cloud of smoke settling from behind. "Son of a… stop her! God damn it, Piranha!"

"What do we do?" The driver asked.

"Keep driving! Get to the drop-off!"

"But the police!"

"To hell with the police! They won't stop to check us! Just keep driving!" He then dialed another number. "Ross? It's Mario! Get a chopper in the air now!

---

She knocked her vehicle into the second one, hoping to get a reaction from the driver. The passenger rolled down his window and pointed a rifle at her but she soon split it in half with her amulet and destroyed the tires on the moving truck. Another collision with the vehicles behind it and now Stephanie was on her way to rendezvous with Mario.

"Your turn to fry." She growled.

She sent forth a hailstorm of fiery debris to slow them down but Mario's driver was quick enough to avoid it. Furious, she pressed down on the pedal harder and followed him out of the tunnel and onto the expressway.

"Where are you going?"

The two heavy vehicles were now heading up on the highway along a road that was elevated high above the ground. Just when Stephanie had a clear shot of Mario's truck, the helicopter emerged to greet her with a round of gunfire.

"Oh, please…"

She swerved along the curve and set the entire vehicle ablaze with the Fire amulet and tailgated Mario's trailer. Once she saw the road winding back down to the surface, she blasted through the windshield and leapt across to hitch a ride. As she grabbed a hold of the trailer's back handle and held on for dear life, she raised a pillar of rock from the ground and tossed the enormous 40 ton truck towards the hovering helicopter. The impact of the burning truck and the helpless chopper combined with the sudden collapse of the towering highway road was enough to shake Stephanie off of Mario's trailer.

She slid down the pavement on her back as the friction began to burn through her trench coat and quickly lifted herself up with the Wind amulet. Then she pushed herself forward to the driver's side and pulled him out, immediately taking over the wheel.

"Hi there." She grinned.

"YOU'RE CRAZY!"

"Maybe…"

---

From the drop-off at the docks, everyone could see the clouds of smoke rising and the burning fires that pierced into the night sky. The sounds of police, ambulance and fire engine sirens going off only made the crew nervous.

"What's going on?" One of them asked.

"I'm not sure." Dinsdale shrugged. "This wasn't part of the plan."

"What plan?"

"Huh? Oh! Well y'know… the drop-off plan!"

"That shipment better come in."

"It will! I promise ya!"

"Dinsy!"

"Doug?"

Doug came running to the men with Demetrius and the others in tow. "Where's Stephanie!?"

"She hasn't come in yet. Why?"

"We're in big trouble." He then gathered everyone around. "All right, listen up! There's been a change of plans! There is no drop-off tonight! Now that me and Dinsy are out of the slammer, there's gonna be some changes 'round here!"

"Who are you to decide?" A young man in a hooded sweater pointed his finger. "Khan's giving orders now."

"But Khan ain't here, is he?" He came face to face with the boy in an intimidating manner. "We're the only ones with the real authority out here and right now I'm telling you to pack up and leave."

"Leave?"

"That's right!" Doug addressed everyone surrounding him. "Leave! Don't come back until I tell you to! Khan isn't gonna be bossing you lot any longer!"

"What do we do?"

"Just lay low for awhile!" He smacked the boy upside the head. "You can do that, can't you?"

"No!" Pixel smacked the Piranha in return. "Doug, they're going back with us!"

"Where? To that Aðalsteinn place you mentioned?"

"Yes! We could use their help!"

"All right, fine!" Doug rolled his eyes. "Never mind! There's been _another_ change of plans! Pack your things, you're coming with us!"

"What's that noise?" Ziggy looked around suspiciously. "You guys hear it?"

"Hey, yeah…" Dinsdale nodded. "It's coming this way."

"Look!"

The thugs turned around to see the headlights of the massive truck speeding their way. Startled by its relentless driver and ignoring Doug and Dinsdale's pleas to back down, the men hurried into the middle of the street with their firearms at the ready and began shooting.

"I can't believe I'm going to do this." Stephanie said to herself as she tightened her grip on the wheel. "You'd better buckle up."

"What?" Mario gulped as he saw the darkness in Stephanie's eyes. "What are you…"

"Bye-bye, Mario."

With quick timing, Stephanie raised a tilted stone slab from the ground just below the truck and sent it flipping in the air towards the men with guns. Once it landed on the street, the air was silent and still for just a moment while everyone watched in awe.

"Stephanie?" Pixel gasped.

"Baby girl!?" Clyde held his breath. "Are you okay!?"

Stephanie struggled from her seat and broke through the damaged door and crawled out from beneath the truck that was now lying on its back. With a groan, she cracked her neck and wiped the bit of blood from her head and saw some of the henchmen heading her way. The first one to reach her pulled out an Uzi and prepared to shoot but Stephanie was too quick for him. After knocking him unconscious, Stephanie took the man's gun and began shooting down those that came for her.

"Come and get me! Come on! Come and get me!" She yelled.

"Stephanie!" Pixel slowly walked towards her. "Stephanie, what are you doing!?"

"Pixel?" She lowered her weapon and looked around in a daze. "…What?"

"STEPHANIE, WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING!?" Doug's face was now red with anger. "I finally got 'em together and you show up and decide to kill 'em all!? And what just happened with the trucks!? Where are the other shipments!? What did you do, young lady!?"

"I… I don't know…" Stephanie looked around and tried to regain her balance. "Clyde?"

"I'm here." He held her in his arms then decided to switch personalities again. _"Und I'm goingk to kill zat Hogan! Hogaaaaaaan!"_

"It's those damn amulets." Demetrius concluded. "Astral warned you there would be repercussions from holding onto them for too long. Look at you! You've become corrupted! You destroyed all those trucks and killed those men! And who knows how many innocents you endangered on the road with your little stunt!?"

"No…" She shook her head.

"Astral was right, Stephanie! You're falling into the pit."

"…Astral was… Oh no. Astral!"

"We need to go to Mutari _now_, Stephanie! Before it's too late!"

"It may already _be_ too late." Amelie sighed.

"No." Stephanie shook her head again and managed to stand on her own. "No, it's not too late! I can stop him!"

"You're not going alone."

"What do we do?" Dinsdale turned to the wizard.

"You and Doug round up the rest of your men and wait somewhere we can reach you. We'll send an airship later to come pick you up and take you to the castle. The rest of us are going to Mutari to meet Khan."

"_You'd better make it fast."_ Claudette's voice spoke. _"Astral might need some help."_

"Oh God…" Demetrius closed his eyes and balled up a fist. "That crazy old man."

"I just thought of something." Pixel gasped. "How do we even get to Mutari?"

_"Just come back to the castle. The queen has already arranged everything. Please hurry!" _

"Let's go."

---

Everyone in the city went about their day as always, unaware of the dangers that were heading their way. Alfonse Tarkin, the head councilman of Mutari, stood by the mighty Golden Eagle of Sannindi near the fountain and gazed at its towering structure. He could feel something in the air he hadn't felt in ages and somehow knew that the end was near. Not only for him but for his beloved city that his ancestors helped create. He closed his eyes and breathed in the cool scent coming from the fountain and exhaled slowly.

When the walls came crashing down, bricks of rock and solid gold flew about the place while the civilians screamed and headed for cover. There was no use in doing so. Those who were in the clear became incinerated by a stray blast of energy and those who were further back were crushed by the falling debris. The doppelgangers, armed with Goggi's latest invention, began shooting down countless innocents without hesitation or remorse. Tarkin stood there with his eyes closed and only listened to the bloodcurdling screams of terror that were eventually silenced by the loud humming of a deadly laser.

Then…

"Hello, Tarkin."

"Reiko. I knew you'd come back. It was only a matter of time."

"Of course." He lifted his hand. "Time to die, Alfonse."


	36. Fall Of The Golden City

_**A/N: HA HA! The Man thought he could keep me away! But I say NEVER! I'll tempt the fates and challenge the Gods by finishing this story! No one can stop me now! **_

**XXXV**

**  
**They all boarded the airship in silence. As Clyde piloted the Track One out of Coast City, leaving behind a trail of destruction, everyone couldn't help but feel a little uneasy after what Stephanie had done. She sat next to Clyde and gazed out at the damage she had caused, feeling the pressure of the amulets weighing down on her again.

"I…" She started. "…I don't know what to say."

"Just say you won't let it happen again." Demetrius said. "We're all counting on you, Stephanie. We can't afford you losing your head like that when it's your life that's at stake."

She nodded and turned her attention forward, helping Clyde with the controls. While they hurried back over to Aðalsteinn, Pixel reached into his pocket and switched on a cell phone much to Ziggy's curiosity.

"Hey, is that phone yours?" He asked.

"No, I swiped it from one of those drug dealers Stephanie shot down." He said as his eyes remained fixed on the little screen.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to see where these calls were placed. There's no number listed but I bet I can track down the location once we get back to the palace."

"Can you really do that?" Stephanie turned back. "Can you find out where they're holding our friends?"

"It's worth a try. But I'll need Claudette's computer in order to map out the signals."

"Hurry, Clyde."

"AYE-AYE, CAPTAIN! PEDAL TO THE METAL! AWOOOOOGA!"

The back thrusters of the Track One suddenly switched on and pushed the airship forward, piercing through the clouds in the sky.

---

The once shiny and vibrant walls of Mutari were now crumbling and falling down around those who hopelessly tried to flee. Hodge and Halla took to the ground running and blasting their high intensity blasters towards anyone who came their way. Depending on the frequency of their weapon, their victims either fell dead or disintegrated in thin air. Goggi, now sporting a cybernetic implant where his right eye used to be, scanned the area's weakest points and began shooting at them. Their minds were now set on murder and no one was going to stop them.

Near the fountain, Tarkin, despite having already taken a beating from Khan, remained standing and faced the evil sorcerer. "I know what you're after."

"Indeed." Khan reached into his belt and pulled out a dagger. "And you just won't let me pass through!"

"Stay away from the fountain, Reiko!"

"Oh… pretty please?"

"Never!" Tarkin swung around and unleashed his wand, pointing it at Khan's chest. "I should have killed you long ago instead of freezing you in time!"

"But it's done wonders for my skin! Look! No wrinkles!"

"You die now!"

Interrupting Tarkin, however, was a gunshot from Goggi's ray that reduced the councilman to a pile of steaming hot ash. Reiko looked down on Tarkin's remains and kicked them around, laughing like a maniac.

"Good work, Goggi."

"Thank you, sir."

"Now go and tear this stupid city apart."

"With pleasure."

While Goggi ran off to complete his mission, Khan stepped towards the glistening fountain and punched his hand through the golden statue. But before he could claim the prize that awaited him inside, a sudden shockwave ran through his entire body. He fell to his knees and turned his head around to see a familiar old face.

"Astral…" He chuckled. "My old student. Ha ha… _old_…"

"A Lunasphere, Reiko?" The old monk raised an eyebrow as he clutched his wand tightly. "Hidden within the fountain?"

"You fool. You know a Lunasphere wouldn't work for me." He growled as he struggled to get up. "Only a Vitasphere can revive my magic to its full potential."

"Not so long as I'm alive, Reiko."

"I was hoping you'd say that!"

With expert timing, Khan dodged Astral's second wand attack and swept the old man off his feet. He then picked him up from the ground and head-butted him repeatedly until the blood began to show.

"What's the matter, old man? I thought you were going to show me a real fight!"

"I…"

"You what?"

With a quick flick of his wrist, Astral sent Khan flipping in the air until he crashed head-first against the golden eagle statue.

"I'm just getting started!" The monk quipped before charging his wand again.

"Oh, you sneaky old bastard!"

---

Upon their arrival, Stephanie and her team rushed through the doors of the hangar and met with Jezelle and the others in the hallway. As they walked, Stephanie informed the queen of their current situation but the woman already knew what was happening.

"Yes, I know." Jezelle nodded. "Astral got the jump on Claudette but she woke up sooner than expected."

"How are we getting to Mutari?" Stephanie asked.

"In the study room. After Astral turned on the council, Hal decided to create a transport system that would take him directly to Mutari should they need his help again."

"Great. Pixel, head over to the lab and start working on those phone numbers."

"You got it, boss!" Pixel winked as he broke away from the group as they entered the study room.

Near the fireplace, Jezelle reached for the mantelpiece and removed a small golden object shaped like an eagle. Pressing the two diamond eyes, the head popped up and spread its wings open as a green energy began to surround it.

"Hurry." She gave it to Stephanie.

Stephanie took the device and called forth the rest of her team. "Let's go, Clyde. Demetrius and Trixie, you're with us."

"Oh, good." She grinned as she took her place by Stephanie. "I've been waiting to get into a scrap!"

"Please be careful." The queen implored.

"We will."

The flames in the fireplace matched the green energy emitting from the eagle and soon they swallowed the entire away team, sending them to their destination.

---

Another stream of energy unleashed from the wand wrapped itself around the evil one and flung him across the other side of the room. Preparing to inflict further damage, Astral focused his energies and levitated his opponent high above the ground with the intention of dropping him to his death.

"This was a long time coming, Reiko!"

"You'd kill your old master!?"

"You were never my master."

"If that's the way it is…"

Suddenly Khan's eyes began to glow an intense yellow energy as he broke free from Astral's magic grasp and lowered himself to the ground. With his abilities he lifted several shards of gold and flung them at the old man, cutting him in several places that forced him to kneel over in defeat.

"Reiko…" He breathed heavily. "You can't…"

"Yes…" He approached the old monk and placed a hand on his shoulder. "…I can."

"Hey!" A voice startled him. "Look what I can do!"

"What!?"

Khan was instantly blindsided by a quick punch to his face before finding himself being flipped over someone's shoulders. As he landed painfully on his back he was surprised to see a familiar pink blur glaring back at him.

"Stephanie?"

"Dear God, it talks!" She teased before stomping on his chest. "Let's see if it can bleed!"

"You…" He coughed hoarsely. "You wouldn't…"

"Of course I would."

She lifted him on his feet again and swung him back over to the broken statue. As he laid there near the fountain where the water washed away the blood on his forehead, Stephanie hurried over to him and landed several more punches on his face.

Meanwhile, the rest of the away team scattered about the now ruined city of gold and tried to disarm Khan's minions. Demetrius spotted Hodge and with a blast from his wand, he managed to shatter the boy's weapon.

"That's enough." He warned. "It's over for you."

"It's not over until one of us dies." He threatened, revealing a blade from his sleeve.

"If that's the way you want it."

Demetrius readied for another attack but Hodge was ready for him this time. Stingy's doppelganger dodged the magic attack with a quick swirl to the right and dropped to the floor where a quick swipe of his blade cut the magician's hand. Startled by his speed and the fierce pain in his hand, Demetrius was forced to drop his wand where it now landed in the hands of Reiko's henchman.

"The wand's mine now."

"Do you even know how to use that thing?"

"It can't be that hard. I've heard Reiko say only an idiot can screw up the simplest of spells."

"Oh really?"

"Take this shockwave I'm about to hit you with for example. One hit and you're dead."

"Very well."

"Goodbye."

Hodge thrust the wand forward but the red energy that began to pulsate within instead hit the young boy directly in the head, killing him instantly. His plan had backfired immensely.

"You're right." Demetrius looked down on Hodge's lifeless body and took back his weapon. "Only an idiot…"

Behind the foundations of a crumbled building, Clyde flipped away from Goggi's attacks and laughed like a maniac while doing so.

"Stand still!" The green-haired boy griped.

"Stand still?" Clyde froze in place, his facial expression resembling that of Clint Eastwood's. "So you want me to just stand here like a jackass while you shoot me down like the coward you are? You go ahead and do that, Goggi. But at the end of the day, what'll you have to show for your so-called victory? A corpse and a hunk of junk piece of plastic."

"My gun is _not _made out of plastic!"

"This here's the line…" Clyde continued his imitation as he drew a line in the sand with his boot. "…If you've got the balls to take me down like a real man, then you come over here and cross it."

"I don't have time for this." Goggi took aim.

"Go ahead, punk. Make my day."

The trigger was pulled and the energy blast shot forward, disintegrating everything in its way except Clyde, who was now creeping up behind Goggi. He reached down the boy's pants and pulled his surprisingly elastic underwear over his head and shoulders. Trapped in his own tidy whities, Goggi dropped his weapon and fell to the floor where he would spend the next few minutes rolling around.

"The winnah!" Clyde's voice shifted into a high-pitched squeal as he picked up the ray gun. "Tell him what he's won, Johnny!"

Back near the fountain, Stephanie grew weary of punching Khan's lights out and dipped the man's head into the water and waited several seconds before pulling him out.

"…You're… more aggressive…" Khan grinned. "I like that."

"Oh, you do?" She dunked him in again. "So do I!"

When she noticed Khan stopped squirming, she took it as a sign to let him go. Her opponent was now dead. She ran back over to Astral and helped the old man back on his feet.

"Astral? Are you okay?"

"Stephanie? How did you get here?"

"The queen."

"You must leave now! I have to settle things with Reiko!"

"I just took care of him, Astral. He's dead."

"What?"

"Don't be so sure, Stephanie." Khan said as he stood back up from the water.

"No…" Stephanie balled up her fist. "I killed you!"

"Yeah, funny thing about that. If you really want to kill someone, make sure they're dead."

"Fine by me!"

"Stephanie, the fountain!" Astral warned.

But it was too late. The dark magician reached into the hole he punched in and removed a small orb glowing with a dark purple and black haze. Etched around the ball was a diamond-shaped emblem and as Reiko squeezed his hand over it, his body began to glow. All his injuries received from his little scuffle with Stephanie were now healing themselves and his magic was regaining its full potential. When he opened his hand, the energy sphere was gone and his body was back to normal.

"Wow…" He sighed. "I feel like a new man!"

"No…" Astral shook his head. "It can't be."

"Uhh, yeah. It can." He grinned. "Now where were we?"

"I was about to kill you for good!" Stephanie charged for him, her amulets glowing brighter than ever.

"Come and get me."

Stephanie swung her arms at lightning speed and landed each blow against various parts of Khan's body. He laughed after each one and grabbed hold of the girl's neck, bringing her face closer to his.

"You're an incredible woman, do you know that?"

"Release her now!" Astral shot off a warning. "Your fight is with me!"

"Too true! Excuse us won't you, dear?" He tossed Stephanie aside and charged his fists with an intense energy. "Come then. If you're that desperate to die then at least die fighting!"

"Silence!"

Astral blasted his opponent from across the field and sent him flying against the fountain again. The old monk readied for his finishing blow but Khan stood up and unleashed a red swirl of energy from his fingertips that pierced through the old man's chest.

"ASTRAL!" Stephanie screamed.

The old man stood there as the blood oozed from his mouth and his vision started to blur. Stunned and unable to battle, he dropped to his knees and took another glimpse of Stephanie who was now struggling to get up.

Up above, where the water fountain began, Trixie used the rocks around her to her advantage as Halla tried to shoot her opponent down. Trixie saw the trail leading down and followed the rocks over to a cave that was well hidden behind the waterfall. Halla noticed this and went after her, her gun safely strapped to her back. When she jumped through the water and into the cave, she was met with a fierce punch to the face.

"Oh you little…" Halla growled as she wiped the blood from her nose. "I'm going to cut you up for that."

"Uh-huh…" Trixie crossed her arms unimpressed.

"Starting with that pretty face of yours!"

"Come on!"

The redhead slipped out a knife from her boot and swung it but as soon as Trixie grabbed hold of her arm, the game was over. Trixie twisted her opponent's arm back and kicked her in the gut, forcing her out of the cave.

"Oh crap…"

Trixie hurried over to Halla and grabbed hold of her arm, as she dangled over the falling stream of water.

"Give me your other hand!" She yelled.

The combined weight of Halla and the pressure of the water falling on her back made it difficult for Trixie to pull her up. But Halla had a different plan in mind. She took out another knife from her boot and instead of accepting Trixie's hand, she took another swipe at her. Trixie anticipated this and simply let the girl go, watching her plummet to her death.

Reiko was ready to finish the old man off when he heard a loud splash behind him. He turned around and was surprised to see Halla's lifeless body lying there in the fountain.

"Huh." He simply said. "Well then! I guess that's my exit cue!"

"Reiko!" Goggi came rolling over to his master, still wearing his underwear over his head. "Let's get out of here!"

"Oh, but I'm having so much fun!"

"We're not finished here, Reiko!" Stephanie shouted.

"You're right! But let's finish our little game for another day, huh? What do you say?"

"You can't run from me!"

"I don't need to run, you silly little girl." He then opened a portal. "Now that I have my power restored, I can reawaken the Shadow Dragon and bring all of Aðalsteinn to its knees!"

"You still need the Blackheart."

"I'm working on it."

"Even if you did find it, you'd still need Remus to tear open the dimensions with his magic. And if you'll recall, I took away his magic! He's useless to you now!"

"Perhaps. But I don't need him anymore."

"What?"

"Remus is irrelevant now that I have my magic again. Honestly, did you really think someone like Remus could be capable of commanding an entire army of warmongers? He had a good plan, I have to admit. But it seems he just wasn't up for the job."

"Reiko…"

"Bye-bye! Come on, Goggi!"

And like that, the two were gone. Stephanie rushed over to Astral and helped the old man up. He was pale and shivering and there was still blood coming out of his mouth.

"Astral…" She whimpered. "We're going to get you out of here."

"K-Khan…" He stammered. "H-he… m-must b-be stopped…"

"I know. I know, Astral."

"Only you… only y-you c-can st-stop him, Stephanie…"

"I will. I promise you I will."

"Astral!" Demetrius came running up to them with Clyde and Trixie following behind. "No…"

"We have to get him out of here, Demetrius!"

"I have the eagle."

As the vortex opened, Stephanie switched her earpiece on and radioed the palace. "This is Stephanie! Prepare to receive wounded! Get the medics ready! We can't waste any time!"

"Stephanie," Trixie started. "I don't think he's--"

"Don't say that!"

"Steph, he's…"

"That's enough, Trixie." Demetrius said. "We're going now, Stephanie."

As the portal took the crew away from the ruins of the once peaceful city, Stephanie shouted to the heavens the only thing she could think of:

"KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!"

_**A/N: Oh come on. Who didn't see that one coming?**_


	37. Retribution

**_A/N: And now for another trip down memory lane..._**

**XXXVI**

_He was beaten. He was stripped of the one thing that gave him so much power and now his life seemed meaningless. As he rested his back on the cold hard floor while the rain fell, Astral looked over him and shook his head in disappointment. _

"_I thought you were better than this."_

_"Don't."_

_"I thought you were incapable of being corrupted."_

_"I said don't!" Remus shouted._

"_It's over, Nine. You've become obsessed with the power of the amulet. It's practically driven you insane."  
_

"_You of all people have no right to lecture me!" _

"_I'm a changed man now. You stripped me of the amulet and I faced the demons within me to gain a new start. I have nothing but gratitude for you. I've realized my mistake and I am willing to repay my debt to you by helping---"_

"_NEVER!" _

"_I'm getting away from all of you and forming a town of my own! One where they will listen to me and obey my every rule! I will be adored by many and you can't stop me, Astral!"_

_The man known as Number Nine jumped to his feet and struck the monk down, charging into his comrades next. One man, in his mid-forties and armed with a lance, swung his weapon around to try and immobilize the former superhero. _

"_You're no match for me, monk! Don't even try!" Remus said as he grabbed hold of the sharp object._

_"I must turn you in!" The man insisted._

"_You're not taking me in alive!"_

_Remus pushed the weapon forward and turned it around, scraping across his rival's face and leaving a bloody gash._

"_Demetrius!" Astral hurried over to his friend. "Are you okay?"_

_"Yes! But hurry! He's getting away!"_

_"You can't follow me!" Remus said as he lifted the Earth amulet. "No one can! In fact, I'll make it so you can never leave this place again!"_

_"What are you doing!?" Astral demanded to know. "Put the amulet down, Nine!"_

"_No."_

_The magic that glowed within the green gem caused the ground to shake and crack as a massive black wall of brick and stone erupted from the ground. It carried Remus upward as he maintained his focus on sealing the inhabitants of HazyTown within the confines of his greatest creation. The shaking and cracking traveled throughout the small town and wherever it went so did the wall. Eventually, all of HazyTown was trapped and there was nothing the people could do to break through its magic seal._

"_You monster!" Astral aimed his wand. "Come back here!"_

_"No. This is your fate, Astral! And to further ensure you can't follow me…"_

_Tilting the amulet at an angle, the entire town was then overshadowed by a blanket of thick cloudy fog. The ex-hero could then feel the magic getting out of control as he held onto the golden disc with both hands and watched helplessly as the winds picked up and an entire storm brewed within the green gem. _

"_No!" _

_Nine struggled to pull the amulet away. With all his might, the hero managed to regain control of the magic beam and swung the powerful storm into another direction. _

"_What have you done!?"_

_With the fog now blocking out the sun and smothering the peaceful town, Astral and his allies bowed their heads in defeat as the former superhero shook his head and scoffed. _

"_I hereby curse you, HazyTown!" _

_---_

Astral remembered that day very clearly even now as he laid on top of the medical table where the doctors and surgeons desperately tried to save the old man's life. He was bleeding internally and showed no signs of stopping. His vitals were dropping and he was growing paler and colder by the second. Despite the doctors' best efforts and their advanced technology, there was no way of saving his life. Astral was dead.

Upon hearing the news, Stephanie closed her eyes and turned away from her friends then headed down the hallway. Trixie began to follow but Stingy held her back.

"What are you doing?"

"Let her go, Trix."

"But--"

"Give her space."

"Fine. At least someone will get some…"

"Trix, this isn't about us right now."

"…You're right."

---

Remus remained lying down on his bunk inside his cell when he heard the door open. He sat up and was surprised to see Stephanie glaring at him with darkness smeared over her eyes.

"Hello, Stephanie. How was the mission?"

She remained silent.

"That bad, huh? Oh well. You can't win 'em all."

Still silent.

"Oh, what's the matter? Did you lose somebody?"

He saw her eye twitch and grinned.

"Aha, so _that's_ what it is. Well what can I say? War always has its casualties. So who was it? Your boyfriend? No? Trixie? That Stingy fellow? How about one of those stupid monks? Was it Demetrius? No? How about…" His eyes widened as the realization settled in. "No… It wasn't Astral, was it?"

He could see her tensing up and gasped.

"Wow… after all these years, the old man finally bought it. And now I suppose you're going to try and pin this on me when you know damn well it was Khan who finished him off. Am I right?"

"Yes."

"Ha!…Wait a minute. NO!"

She charged into Remus and lifted him by the shirt, swinging and pinning him against the cold hard wall. "It _is_ your fault, Remus. You brought this upon us."

"If you'll recall, it was your friend Robbie who asked me for assistance. I came and took back what was rightfully mine."

Frustrated, she swung him against the other side of the wall, smashing his head against the brickwork. But Remus continued anyway despite the pain he was feeling.

"Then… then… just when you thought you had me beat… I recreated that Earth amulet and regained a portion of my youth. With _Robbie's help_, no less! I tried to take over LazyTown again but no… you and that retarded boyfriend of yours just had to play rough!"

Now angered, she flipped him over and slammed his back against the edge of the bed, where he cried out in pain and remained sitting on the floor.

"Then…" He writhed in agony and breathed hard. "…Then I realized the only way to defeat you is by taking away that which you loved most! Your boyfriend!"

She punched him in the face in retaliation but he still refused to stop talking.

"I ran into Chameleon before I moved to the outskirts of LazyTown. He told me everything about the Shadow Dragon, Khan and Mutari. When I realized the connection to Aðalsteinn, I found my opportunity to come back home and take my revenge on those who stripped me of my title and--"

"Shut up!"

She punched him again and picked him back up. She then dragged him over to the door and slammed his head against it repeatedly but he refused to shut up.

"And to think…" His breathing became intense. "…It was all… because… of Robbie!"

"Yeah?"

Stephanie stomped on Remus's back, increasing his already agonizing state, and threw him back on the bed. She then cracked his knees with her shoes to keep him from getting up and sat on his lap, pinning both of his arms down.

"Now there's a chance Pixel might not be able to locate my friends, so I'm going to ask you one more time. Where are they?"

"I… I don't know…"

"You sure?"

"I swear…"

"You're absolutely sure?" She asked, grabbing hold of one of his fingers.

"I… NOOOO!"

He could feel the bone of his index finger crack all the way back and tried to squirm away but it was no use. His immobility refused to let him fight back and he had to suffer through the pain the pink-haired girl was inflicting upon him.

"You're not going to tell me, Remus?"

"I'm not… afraid of you… You're just… a… a kid…AAAHHHH!"

His middle finger was now broken.

"I stopped being a kid the day you came into my life, Remus. I've had a lot of growing up to do since then."

"You can't… you can't kill me…"

"Of course I can. But I would rather hurt you. Just like you hurt us."

"You…AAAHHHH!"

His ring finger was the next to be folded back.

"The amulets… they're doing this to you…"

"Yeah. I guess they are. I kind of like it."

"What… are you going to do?"

"The question is, what are _you_ going to do?"

"What?"

"It's time to face your sins, Remus."

Stephanie reached into her pocket and pulled out Astral's wand, aiming it directly at his chest. "This was Astral's. And it's going to send you to the one place you've been avoiding all your life."

"No… Stephanie, please."

"Goodbye, Remus."

"NOOOO!"

The blast illuminated the entire room and in seconds, Remus was gone. As Stephanie stood up from the bed, her friends rushed inside and noticed their captive was no longer there.

"Stephanie!" Trixie gasped.

"_Oh mon dieu_." Amelie looked away in horror. "Stephanie…"

"What have you done?" Demetrius asked her. "Stephanie, what have you done!?"

"He won't be bothering us for a while."

Stephanie walked out of the room and immediately bumped into the king, who was now up and running again.

"King Hallbjörn!" She suddenly backed away. "You're alive! Sportacus! Is he--"

"He's fine." He reassured her. "He's doing much better now."

"I was…"

"Remus. You sent him to the cave, didn't you?"

"Yes. It was the only way he could pay for his crimes without actually…"

"Killing him."

"Father." Sportacus suddenly appeared with Helmina by his side. "Maybe I can help."

"Sportacus!" She hurried into his arms and buried her head into his chest. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"I'm fine, Stephanie. But from what I gather, you're not."

"I…" She started to tear up. "I can't control it anymore, Sportacus… the amulets… they're… speaking to me…making me…"

"Calm down, Stephanie. Come with me."

While Stephanie followed Sportacus down the hallway, the others sighed from relief. Especially Trixie, who thought her best friend had crossed the line even further.

"So Remus isn't dead?" She asked.

"No." Hal shook his head.

"Then where is he?"

---

Remus dusted himself off and looked around him. It was worse than he had imagined. The space was empty, dark and cold. He could hear droplets of water falling in the distance and a low trickle coming from the body of water that was more than likely surrounding him. He slowly lifted himself up and limped along the murky path of the cave, moaning from the intense pain that was swelling throughout his body. The more his legs flexed the more he could feel the intense numbness in his shattered knees. He paused in his trek and collapsed on the floor, where he then heard a voice ring inside his head.

"Who's there?"

_"Remus…"_

"Who are you?"

"…_Remus…"_"Is this a trick?"

_"…No trick…"_

"Show yourself."

_"…Look down."_

"What?"

_"Look down, Remus… look down…"_

"Look down?"

Remus realized there was no way he could possibly look any lower than where he was until he noticed the edge of the trail. He crawled his way over and saw his reflection in the black waters that rippled before him.

"You're… me?"

_"Your judgment is at hand, Remus. Behold your crimes against humanity…"_"No… NO!"

---

The sky was dark and the moon was shining down on all of Aðalsteinn. From the rooftops of the castle, Stephanie and Sportacus could see members of the Trinity Watch as well as the Royal Guard bury their fallen comrade into the ground.

"Are you sure you don't want to be there with them?"

"I'm sure." She turned away and looked down as the cool wind blew her pink mane to the side. "Now what did you want to show me?"

"This."

Sportacus reached over his back and drew a long sharp blade made entirely of silver. He then gave the weapon a few swings to show her its simple and uncomplicated maneuverings and light weight.

"A sword?"

"Not just any sword, Stephanie." He pointed at four small round fissures lined down the center of the blade and explained. "You see these? It's possible that if you placed the four elemental gems into these gaps, you'll be able to use their magic without getting corrupted."

"Because the sword will be absorbing their energies and not me." She finally understood.

"Exactly. You said you wanted a way to become one with the elements without using the amulets. Here's your chance, Stephanie. The Silverfox is yours."

"Silverfox…" She took the blade from Sportacus and began twirling it around with ease much to her surprise. "…Wow. Thanks, Sportacus."

"You're welcome." He smiled for a moment before giving her a sincere stare. "… I heard about Coast City."

"Oh…" She lowered the blade and frowned. "…I guess Demetrius told you?"

"Yes he did."

"…I suppose you're disappointed in me also."

"Not exactly."

"Come on, Sportacus. I killed four men. I took that gun and I shot them down in cold blood."

"They _were _coming after you."

"But they were supposed to come back here and help us. I should have been able to control my actions but I just couldn't. My mind was clouded. My judgment was…"

"It was impaired. I know, Stephanie. And this incident with Remus--"

"I tortured him." She gasped. "Dear God, I tortured the man and…"

"And what?"

"…I enjoyed it."

"I could only imagine." He smirked.

"Are you…" She looked at him funny. "Are you saying you're not mad about me hurting Remus like that?"

"Well there's only so much a person can do before he finally gets what's coming to him. And we all know Remus deserved what he got."

Stephanie couldn't help but smile. "And here I thought you were the most noble out of all of us."

"Nobody's perfect, Stephanie."

"I always thought you were." She paused. "Even when I was a kid, I…"

"You what?"

"Well I guess it's no surprise but I kind of… you know… had the biggest schoolgirl crush on you."

"Ah." He nodded with a grin. "No, that wasn't exactly your best-kept secret."

"So you _did_ know."

"Yes I did."

She paused again and stood silent while the wind blew her hair across her face. Sportacus waited for her to say something but shrugged it off until…

"Sportacus?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think…" She hesitated for a second. "…Do you think it could have worked out between us?"

"It's possible."

"I'm not talking about this lifetime. I mean in some other time. Some other world, some other universe, some other reality. Do you think we could have gotten together then?"

"I wouldn't doubt it." He took her hand in his. "But I'm in love with Helmina. I've always been in love with her. Since we were kids. Since before I came to LazyTown and until the day I die."

"I know you do, Sportacus. And I love Clyde. I love him with all my heart. I just… couldn't help but wonder, you know?"

"Of course."

"I'd better go check on Pixel's progress."

As Stephanie turned to leave, she stopped for a moment and looked back at her old friend. She slowly walked over to him and placed a gentle kiss on his lips much to his surprise.

"I can let you go now."

And with that said, she went down the steps and back inside the palace. Dumbfounded and a little flushed, Sportacus smiled and laughed the whole incident off.

"Women."

---

Inside the lab, Pixel and Claudette viewed a grid of all the sent and received calls on the dead mobster's cell phone and tracked down the whereabouts of each call.

"What's this one?" Claudette pointed at one of the numbers. "It's got the same area code as the other?"

"I'm looking into it right now…" Pixel ran his fingers along the keys. "That one… is 11th and Bleaker. Two streets along Main. That one… nope, that one isn't it."

"How do you know?"

"Because the calls are leading back to the same spot we came from."

"The same area, mean?"

"Exactly. What we're looking for is a number that takes us into a whole other district."

"Beyond Coast City then."

"Right… There's got to be one somewhere…"

"What about this one?"

"Which one?"

Claudette pointed at another number on the chart. "This one here. No area code, no prefix number that matches the others."

"Okay, yeah. Let's try that one."

Pixel typed in the number and waited for the map to appear. Once it showed up and displayed a full grid of the entire area surrounding the source of the call, Pixel dropped his jaw in shock.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

"What is it?"

"Claudette, you're a genius! This is it! Several calls were made here and several went out! I can't believe they were being kept there all this time!"

Pixel turned on his earpiece and made contact with all his Trinity Watch comrades to inform them of his recent find.

"Guys! I found them! Get your things ready! We're going back to LazyTown!"


	38. Castle Doom

**XXXVII**

The engines on the Track One were running while it hovered up in the sky with its rope ladder dangling and ready to support its passengers. The new away team, so far consisting of Trixie, Ziggy, Pixel and Stingy, were busy loading up their gear for a surprise attack on their enemies when Sportacus, Stephanie and Clyde arrived in the hangar. They were all wearing a modified version of their tracksuits that not only looked stylish but also insured their safety.

Instead of the white cotton that was normally overshadowed by their respective colors of pink, blue and green, they were now wearing a tight black fabric that left no inch of skin exposed and gloves to complete the set. Their signature chest emblems were given an upgrade as well. Sportacus' 10 was sharper and more 3-dimensional, Stephanie's 'S' was given a new razor-edged look and less curvy, and Clyde's trademark fist with the words 'Right On' were now etched in a grayscale.

"Like the new uniforms?" Pixel asked, anticipating their reactions.

"They're not bad." Sportacus nodded. "Good work, Pixel."

"Thanks."

"What's with the black fabric, though?" Stephanie tugged at her long sleeves.

"It's made out of a protective fiber that's bulletproof, fireproof and virtually indestructible. In short, you'll be increasingly mobile, flexible and generally safe from harm."

"Thanks."

"So are we all ready to leave or what?" Trixie impatiently asked as she started up the ladder. "I don't know about you guys but I can't wait to pound on some bad guy skull!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Pixel rolled his eyes as he followed. When he noticed Stingy close behind, he stopped. "Hey."

"What is it?" Stingy looked at him suspiciously.

"Whatever's going on between you two…" He started. "I'd patch things up before it's too late, you know? There's no telling what might happen to us on this trip."

"I'll be fine, Pixel."

"I'm just saying is all. I mean, what if--"

"Will you just go up the ladder!?"

Ziggy, wearing a ridiculously long blue and white cloak appeared in the hangar with his loyal followers close behind. Some were holding the ends of his robe, others carried books while they chanted and some even fanned him as they walked.

"That will be all, my children." Ziggy raised his hand and signaled them to stop. "I leave you now to help those who need my guidance the most. You are to follow Balthazar's lead until my return."

"Very good, sire!" Balthazar bowed before him. "All hail Zül!"

"HAIL!" They cheered.

"Oh, not this again…" Stephanie shook her head and walked over to Ziggy, grabbing him by the ear. "Let's go, Nelson."

"Ow!" He winced as he slowly proceeded towards the ladder. "Okay, okay, okay! I'll go! That's no way to treat a deity!"

"Move it!" Stephanie then turned to the king and queen. "We'll be back before you know it. Hopefully, Reiko is still trying to find a way to--"

"Worry not, Stephanie." Hal interrupted her. "All our men are positioned throughout the entire palace. We'll hold our own if we must."

"We'll be expecting your return." Ozymandias added. "You can be sure of that."

With a nod, Stephanie climbed up the ladder and met up with the rest of her team. Once everyone was settled in, the Track One took off at lightning speed. Their next stop was LazyTown.

---

The skies were dark and filled with misty purple clouds while the yellow moon pierced through the blackest corners of the old haunted castle in LazyTown.

In the underground dungeon, one of the captives remained chained to a wall as three men in simple street clothes approached him. They taunted him and laughed at his face. One of them even spat on him before taking a baseball bat and hitting him on the arm. The tall thin man felt the pain but he didn't open his mouth for anything. He remained standing and took the abuse.

"What's the matter?" One of the thugs asked. "Didn't that hurt? Huh?"

No response. Another hit. This time on his right shoulder. Still nothing.

"Ooh, a tough guy. I know what to do with tough guys."

"Vinnie, I don't think we should be doing this." One of them spoke up. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

"No, this guy's playing tough. I'm gonna show him he's not."

"Vinnie, c'mon…"

"Luca, get him out of here."

"I don't know, I think maybe Rico's right. Let's just leave him alone. Besides, the boss said he wants them alive."

"Yeah but the boss didn't say nothing about having some fun with 'em." He batted the man's calf. "Ain't that right, pretty boy?"

Robbie was in an agonizing state. He wanted so much to scream and collapse but he couldn't give them the pleasure. He took a deep breath and remained silent, hoping that his beloved wasn't taking the same kind of beating elsewhere.

---

"_Where am I?"_

_"You're home. Down here in the lair."_

_"Lair?"_

_"Yes. You remember, don't you?"_

_"I… sort of."_

_"What do you remember?"_

"_I remember… dancing. A big stage in the center of town. A girl in pink and a man in blue."_

_"What else?"_

_"I remember… dancing."_

_"You already said that."_

_"I remember cake."_

_"Uh-huh."_

_"I remember… the Alamo?"_

_"No. Try again."_

_"Oh, this is boring!" She snapped at him unexpectedly. "When are you gonna cut the crap and let me out of here!?"_

"_What!?" _

_Robbie's jaw dropped at the sight of his creation walking off the platform of the machine he built and over to his coveted orange chair. Once there, she sat back with the remote in hand and started flipping channels. _

"_Hey, what are you doing!?" He griped. "That's my chair!"_

_"Well I'm sitting on it! Make with the cake, will you? I'm starving over here!"_

"_Huh? Oh yeah!" He hurried into the kitchen and brought out a slice of periwinkle cake for her to enjoy. "Here you go, I was just--hey, wait a minute!" _

_He swiped the cake away from her before she could stick her fork in it. _

"_Hey!" _

"_You're supposed to be obeying my every command!" _

"_Nuts to that! If you wanted me to obey, you would have turned me into a robot instead of a normal human being!" _

"_I wouldn't exactly say normal…"_

_"Huh? What do you mean by that?"_

_"Nothing!" Robbie tried to cover up his tracks, hiding the truth about her infertility. "I mean you're perfectly normal! You've got the body and spirit of a twenty-five year-old! Guts and all, even!"_

"_Really?" Innocently enough, she picked up a knife from the plate and aimed it at her wrist. "Cool! Let me see!"_

_"NO!" He swiped the knife away just in time. "Unfortunately your mind needs a little more work."_

_"What do you mean by that?"_

_"Well you were a toy, remember?"_

_"Oh, yeah. So I guess in a way my mind is like a child's. Because children like to play with toys. Huh. With that kind of logic, you can't go wrong!"_

_"Never mind." Robbie rolled his eyes. "If you were able to come to that conclusion then I'd suggest you were either suicidal or incredibly eccentric and optimistic."_

"_Hey, do you want to see me make bubbles with my spit?" _

"_No." He grumbled. "Well come along, then."_

_"Where are we going?" She got up from the chair and followed him into the hall. "Are we going to try and ruin the kids' fun?"_

_"Not today, no. Right now I have to make sure you're settled in before we can do anything else. Let's start with getting you a new wardrobe."_

_"That's real nice of you. Thanks, boss!"_

_"Boss?" He stopped outside a door._

_"…Yeah. What's wrong?"_

_"Nothing." He shrugged. "Come along, Rottenella."_

_"Is that really gonna be my name?"_

_"Yes. Why?"_

_"I don't know. I just thought it would be something else."_

_"That's what I called you the first time and that's what I intend on calling you now."_

"_Well, all right. I think I would have preferred 'Violet' or something but whatever. That's why you're the boss!" _

---

From that moment she knew they had made a connection. Even if it took him an entire year to figure it out. She remembered that day so well and cherished it in her thoughts and in her heart whenever things around her seemed bad. Right now things were a little edgy.

She stood in the middle of a lounge that had been built inside the old haunted castle some time ago before her rebirth.

There was a time when the entire building was turned into a museum but when taking care of its crumbling foundations and old structure became to much of chore to keep up with, Mayor Meanswell decided it best to leave it abandoned as it should have been from the start. The lounge was where the young dancer remembered spending time in, reading about all the historical landmarks that surrounded the small town.

Now she was back, standing around with her hands bound together with an elastic bungee cord and wearing an ivory and lilac brocade dress at the request of her captor. He walked in the room wearing a black and gold military outfit and holding a sangria cocktail in his hand. He sat down on the lounge chair next to the portrait of LazyTown sketched on the wall and winked at the raven-haired beauty who stood before him.

"Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful." He said before taking a drink.

"What are you going to do with me?"

"The same thing I did to _her_ all those years ago."

"…You wouldn't."

"Of course I would." He took another drink, this time licking his lips afterwards in the sleaziest of ways. "She wore that same exact dress, you know. When I had her on the floor, her smooth and silky legs opened and--"

"Shut up."

"Come over here." He took another drink and patted his lap. "I promise I'll be gentle this time."

"No." She shook her head in disgust. "I'm not like Desirée, Tombstone. I'm different."

"Really? You look like her. You talk like her. Hell, you even smell like her." He sniffed the air for a moment and inhaled in an almost arousing way. "Sweet lavender."

"You're disgusting."

"Face it. You're just a copy."

"I'm not."

"Then why are you taking her name along with all the other features I just described?"

"I…"

"That's what I thought."

---

Inside another part of the dungeon, Bob was being stretched and electrocuted by two swarms of electrical eels swimming in opposite directions. The chubby pink rabbit winced at the pain and cried out a few times but he managed to keep his wit to throw off his captors.

"Speak up, little rabbit!" One of them shouted. "I know you can talk!"

"Yeah, say something!" Another one egged him on. "C'mon! Anything!"

"All right!" Bob said out of breath. "You've got one of the ugliest mugs I've ever seen! If I was as ugly as you, I'd shave my ass and walk backwards!"

"Ha Ha!"

"Hey, that ain't funny!"

The stranger stuck a prod inside the tank and caused the eels to pull even harder and send another shockwave through Bob's fuzzy pink body.

"Now _that's_ funny!" He laughed. "Don't you think so, bunny boy?"

"Not… not as funny… as looking at youse two idiots."

"You getting smart with me, rabbit?" He raised the prod again. "The boss said we weren't supposed to kill ya but I'm liable to make an exception for you!"

"Yeah? Bring it, ya pansy!"

The prod went in and another electrical shock went through the bunny's small frame. This time, however, the electrocution went a little longer than expected and now the pink fur was starting to turn black in some parts.

"Laugh it up, rabbit!"

"Hey, take it easy. He's just a stupid fat rabbit."

"Yeah but that stupid fat rabbit wants to get rough."

"That…" Bob gasped for air. "…That's how… that's how your mom likes it."

"All right, that's it!"

"Bring it, sissy boy!"

---

In another room, Dramatik stood near a brick well totally unharmed but understandably shaken up. The sand and rocks at his feet started to move and as they climbed over one another, they transformed into a being made entirely out of gravel.

"Magik, please don't do that!" Dramatik cried. "Show yourself!"

The creature ignored his plea and stepped forward, raising his massive boulder fist and preparing to strike the thespian down.

"Magik! As your older brother, I command you to stop this at once!"

The creature stopped and disintegrated into dust and sand again as the young woman appeared behind her brother.

"Hello, dear brother."

"Magik! What am I doing here? Why have you brought us to this hellhole!? We've done nothing wrong!"

"Nothing wrong?" She smirked. "You and your friends have sided with the enemy."

"Have you the brain worms!? Reiko is the enemy!"

"Reiko is our savior." Another voice said as the ground slightly shook.

From below the cracks of the floor, Havik stood up and greeted his little brother with a tight handshake and a menacing smile.

"The only reason we spared your life so far is because we want to give you one last chance."

"Last chance for what?"

"For joining us, of course." Diabolik mysteriously appeared from behind. "You said you wanted us to be a family again, didn't you? Well then? Here's your chance."

"How dare you!?" Dramatik took offense. "How could you make me choose between my morals and principles and my own family!?"

"Dramatik, open your eyes. None of those mean anything when you're with Reiko! Under his reign, we can do whatever we want and get away with it!"

"Something's not right…" The actor turned away from his siblings. "You're not yourselves. You once used your unique abilities like a gift and not as a curse. Why have you suddenly decided to--"

Dramatik was silenced as Diabolik grabbed hold of his neck and brought his face close. "Our gifts are for us to use as we wish. You of all people can't tell us how to use them."

"But Reiko can?"

Before the ninja could answer, they heard a distant rumbling coming from outside the castle. He dropped his youngest brother and ran out of the room with his other two siblings close behind.

---

"Do you hear that?" Desirée smiled. "My friends are here to save us."

"Perhaps. But I'm still going to have my fun with you."

"I won't let you."

"Maybe not. But I don't mind taking it by force. The way I see it, you can either give in to me and let me ravish that luscious body of yours…"

"Or?"

"Or you can live up to your namesake and die by my hands."

"It's not going to happen either way, I can assure you."

"Oh no?"

"No. Because I can beat you down and leave you soaking in your own blood."

Tombstone slowly got up from his chair and approached the slender young beauty. He gave her a once-over and pulled her close to him, chuckling to himself.

"I don't think so." He shook his head and sat back down. "I know you well enough to tell when you're bluffing."

"So you say…"

"Since you came to Aðalsteinn, you were always hiding behind your precious fiancé or that big blue oaf and his pink cheerleader sidekick. Nobody's ever seen you in combat. Hell, you haven't even tried to throw a single punch!"

"Well…" Desirée nervously pulled at her bungee cord with no results. "…Umm…"

"You can't even break through a simple bungee cord." He grinned. "I know my women. And you? You're _harmless_."

"That's exactly what I wanted you to think."

"Hmm?"

In the blink of an eye, Desirée swung her arms out and snapped the cord in half then leapt across the room with one leg shot out. She kicked Tombstone across the face and forced him out of his chair, where he struggled to crawl away. But the girl in the lilac dress refused as she grabbed him by the hair and slammed his head against the hard floor.

"Still think I'm harmless!?"

---

Inside the castle, near the entrance, Dramatik's siblings, Luca, Rico, Vinnie and the other two mobsters stood in front of the door and looked around to find the source of the rumbling.

"What's going on?" Vinnie asked as he loaded a round into his gun. "Khan back or what?"

"No…" Havik shook his head. "He would have appeared by the portal by now."

Suddenly, they heard a loud crash and noticed the door was being pounded on from the outside. Like the idiots they were, Bob's captives stepped forward with their weapons drawn and placed their hands all over the wooden surface of the old door.

"Nope." One of them shook his head. "Nothing."

Then the door exploded, sending large pieces of wood flying towards the enemy. Magik stopped the wood shrapnel in midair and levitated it across the room, shaping it into a ball. But before she could launch it outside, another explosion from the ground caused to her to break her concentration. As a result, the wooden ball fell on top of Magik's head and knocked her out cold.

"Magik!" Havik cried. "Who is doing this!?"

"Hi there." Stephanie appeared, holding the Silverfox and the four power gems. "Remember us?"

"The Pink One."

"Yoo-hoo!" A voice called.

"What?"

Using his head, Clyde launched himself into Havik's stomach and knocked the wind out of him. The boy in green and black then pulled out a golf club from his arsenal and placed a tee at his opponent's feet.

"Fore!"

With a heavy swing, Clyde managed to send Havik flying into the air, where he crashed into the wall and fell unconscious next to his sister.

"Yes!" Clyde kissed his club. "I'll never call golf a dull game again!"

"Stop him!" Diabolik sent for the three cronies.

"Hands up, kid!" Luca raised his gun. "Don't make me shoot!"

"No! Shoot him! Shoot him! That's the whole point!"

"Oh. Sorry, D."

But before any one of the three morons could react, Trixie, Pixel and Ziggy arrived on the scene and attacked them from behind in a synchronized fashion. One punch to the spine, two in the ribs, a kick to their calves and for a finale, they brought their heads together to put them down for the night.

"Idiots!" Diabolik unleashed his sword. "I'll finish you off myself!"

"Not so fast!" Sportacus jumped in and kicked the ninja in the chest. "You'll have to get through me first!"

"With pleasure…"

"Go! Find the others!"

As they complied, Diabolik swung his blade at Sportacus but missed and got a swift boot in the face. He dropped his weapon in the process and in doing so, Sportacus managed to pick it up and pin his opponent to the brick wall.

"Hey!" Diabolik squirmed. "Let me go!"

"You'll be safe there." He simply said before taking off to meet the others.

---

Stephanie broke down every door of the dungeon by releasing a stream of energy from the Silverfox. Amazed at its power, she smiled and nodded approvingly at her friends.

"Yup. I love this weapon." She grinned. "Spread out."

Stingy and Pixel entered the first room and found Dramatik cowering behind the well. They laughed for a moment then offered their hands for support.

"You okay?" Pixel asked as he Stingy helped the actor up. "You look a little frightened."

"With good reason, I can assure you!" He snapped. "What took you so long!?"

"Hey, we had a job to do back in Coast City!"

"Yeah, you're lucky they didn't hurt you!" Stingy pointed his finger.

"They only kept me alive because I'm their sibling. They offered me a place at their side."

"You didn't say yes, did you?"

"Of course not! I'm an actor! I'm incapable of actual physical harm!"

"Let's go." Pixel chuckled.

---

In the other room, Stephanie stumbled upon the two tanks and the prod resting on the table. She noticed something strange floating at the bottom of one of the tanks and stuck the sword in to see if she could fish it out. Once she felt the weight on the blade, she slowly pulled it out and was immediately taken aback to see her fuzzy pink friend soaked to the bone and displaying several burn marks on his fur.

"Bob…" She gently lowered him on the table as he tried to catch his breath. "Oh my God, are you okay?"

"Hey kid…" He managed to crack a smile. "Geez, it's good to see yer pretty face again."

"Bob, what happened? What did they do to you?"

"Khan wanted to see… how the Cave of Despair works… he wanted… to know its secrets…" He paused for another breath of air. "But I told those chumps to drop dead… funny, huh?"

"Oh, Bob." She pet his soft little head as she tried to fight back the tears. "Please…"

"See ya later, kid."

As the rabbit closed his eyes, he drew his final breath and rested at last. He then began to emit a strange blue glow before he finally faded away into nothingness.

---

Tombstone managed to roll away and stand up on his feet, dazed and ready to fight back. Desirée deflected his punch and aimed for his belt, where she slipped it out with ease and lashed at him repeatedly on the face.

"You scrawny little--" Tombstone growled before getting whipped across the mouth with his own belt. "You'll pay for--"

"Oh, shut up!"

She quickly wrapped the belt around his neck and flipped over behind him, pulling with all her might. His face turned red as he struggled for air but Desirée was in no mood to let go right away.

"This is for the girl you murdered. For the old woman whose life you ruined."

"You…" His face was now purple and puffy as he gurgled and passed out.

She dropped his battered body to the floor and tossed the belt aside as a tearful Stephanie walked in. They were surprised to see each other doing considerably well.

"Steph?"

"Desirée?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I was just taking care of business."

"He's not dead, is he?"

"No. But lord knows I ought to finish him off right here and now." She then noticed the red in Stephanie's eyes. "Are you crying?"

"…Bob." She choked.

"What?"

"They killed Bob."

"No…"

"We better find Robbie."

"Oh my God! Robbie!"


	39. Deception

**XXXVIII**

They stormed inside the last room of the dungeon and found a motionless Robbie dangling from his chains. Wasting no time, Stephanie cut through the shackles with the Silverfox while Sportacus caught him before he could fall. He lifted Robbie from his feet and leaned his head against his chest and sighed from relief after hearing his heartbeat. He then studied his bruised and bloody face and couldn't help but notice a certain innocence about him.

Somehow with everything that had happened so far, he realized now that the man he once thought of as his enemy had indeed turned over a new leaf. He was no longer the goofy resident villain. He was no longer his bitter rival. He was his friend but even so, he was much more than that now. He was family.

"Sportacus?" Stephanie spoke up. "Are you okay? Do you need help carrying him?"

"No." He shook his head. "He ain't heavy. He's my brother."

---

"Good heavens, what happened!?" Milford gasped as he and Bessie arrived at the hospital. "I thought you were in Iceland!"

"We were." Stephanie said. "But they kidnapped Dramatik, Bob, Robbie and Desirée."

"Who?"

"Long story." Desirée said as she stood outside Robbie's room. "I hope he's all right."

"But why would they take them all the way over here?" Bessie asked. "And why didn't they try attacking us?"

Everyone was silent for a moment. She had brought up a good point. Why would Khan kidnap their friends and bring them all the way back to LazyTown? And how was he able to do it without getting caught?

"Something doesn't add up." Pixel shook his head. "I think we'd better get back now!"

"You're right." Stephanie nodded. "Desirée?"

"Yeah?"

"You should stay here with Robbie and monitor his progress. We'll be back."

"Good luck."

"Thanks." Stephanie gave her uncle and Bessie a quick hug before hurrying out. "Bye, Uncle! Bye, Bessie!"

"Be careful, dears!" She pleaded.

---

Moments later, as the Track One returned to Aðalsteinn, their fears and suspicions were realized. The clouds that were normally bright, blue, and cloudy were now dark, gray, and smoky, as the fields surrounding the palace were on fire.

"Dear God." Sportacus gasped as his crystal beeped on cue. "It was a diversion all along."

"I can't believe neither of us saw this one coming." Stephanie shook her head in disappointment. "Better land it somewhere safe, Clyde."

"Can't."

"What do you mean you can't?"

"I mean I can't, pretty lady!"

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not controlling it anymore!" He then laughed. "Hey! Let's go play Pong!"

"You're _what_!?"

The airship suddenly turned to the side and swirled along the skies as it lowered to the ground. Everyone inside screamed as they held on for dear life but just when they thought the end was near, the airship suddenly stopped.

"What happened!? Are we dead!?" Stingy panicked.

"Not yet!" Trixie gulped.

They all realized they were now hanging upside down and as the hatch door opened, they fell out one by one, landing on the front lawn of the palace. When they all stood up, they were greeted by a round of applause followed by an intimidating laugh.

"Well hello there!" Khan appeared from behind a broken pillar. "Have a nice trip?"

"Ha ha…"

"Ziggy, don't laugh!" Trixie hissed.

"Sorry."

"My parents." Sportacus took a step forward with his fist balled up. "Helmina. If you've done anything to harm them, I swear to you--"

"Oh, calm down! They're all doing fine!" Khan interrupted. "For the meantime, anyway."

"Where are the guardsmen? They should have been able to distract you long enough for us to get here."

"It would seem that way." A familiar voice spoke up from behind the fire.

What they saw next was nothing short of a slap in the face. Ozymandias smiled at the group and waved as he stood next to Reiko.

"Ozzy…" Sportacus was left speechless. "How could you?"

"I did say we'd be expecting your return, didn't I?"

"Ha ha…"

"ZIGGY!" They all screamed.

"Sorry."

"You see, I made sure the men would be caught by a surprise attack. That way we could keep them all in one place, locked up with nowhere to go."

"And my parents?" Sportacus was now fuming. "Where did you put them?"

"With the army, of course. We can't have everyone roaming about the place trying to be a hero."

Suddenly, a portal opened in midair. Stepping out were Dramatik's siblings, who were ready to fight once again and settle the score with their enemies.

"Now I believe there's something you want to hand over to me, Stephanie?" Khan stuck his hand out.

"Sure."

Stephanie placed her hand in his and in doing so, she twisted his wrist back and pulled out the sword. Before he could act, she ran the blade through his chest and watched it come out from the other side. Surprised and somewhat impressed, Khan fell to his knees and grinned.

"The… Silverfox?" He whispered.

"Goodbye, Khan." Stephanie said as she removed the blade and pointed it at the others. "As for you guys?"

"Attack!" Havik cried as he caused a tremor with his abilities. "Don't let them get away!"

"Brother, come to your senses!" Dramatik pleaded. "Please! I beg you! You cannot--"

"Out of my way!" Magik said as she tossed him aside with her own powers and formed several more creatures out of rock.

"We have to save the king and queen!" Stephanie said as she sliced through the rock monsters.

"We're on it!" Trixie nodded. "Let's go guys!"

While Stephanie, Sportacus and Clyde handled the Oberon siblings, Trixie, Stingy, Pixel and Ziggy hurried into the palace, where they could hear pounding coming from behind several doors.

"What is that?" Ziggy asked as he looked around. "It sounds like…."

"The guards." Pixel said as he activated his sonar visor. "They're trapped inside all the rooms. Stand back, guys."

As they huddled into a corner, Pixel took out a small tube from his pocket and pressed a few keys along the side. As the buttons began to beep and light up, Pixel hurried over to his friends and watched as the tube opened up from the top and unleashed a magnetic shockwave that opened all the doors. It wasn't long at all before the armed guards stormed down the fleets of stairs and rushed outside to apprehend Dramtik's siblings.

"What now?" Trixie asked.

"Follow me." Pixel said as he packed up his device and hurried into one of the hallways. "We're going to the lab! We might find something that can nullify their powers!"

"It's just three people, Pixel! Khan's dead now!"

"Yeah but we want this war to end quickly!"

As they arrived at the laboratory, Pixel noticed the men in white and blue robes standing in a huddle outside the glass doors of the blue energy sphere.

"Ziggy, what are your buddies doing in the lab?" Pixel shook his head as he went in, surprised to see Claudette standing there as well. "Hey, sweet thing! Look, there's no time to chat! We've got three bad guys out there who really need to be put down! Do you have the--"

"Not so fast!" Vinnie appeared with his gun pointed at Claudette's head. "You come anywhere near her and she eats a bullet."

"Oh crap."

"Hey, how did _you_ get here!?" Trixie groaned.

"We hitched a ride on one of those portal thingies." Luca said as he and Rico appeared as well, sporting several bandages throughout their bodies. "Funny thing about 'em is that they sometimes never take you to the same place."

"What are you doing in here?" Pixel slowly raised his arms up. "This here's the lab. You guys wouldn't know how to use this stuff."

"You calling us stupid?"

"Yes."

"Wise guy…" Rico loaded his gun. "Shut all this power off."

"What? Why?"

"We don't want you helping your friends out while they're fighting Havik and them."

"Look, it's over! Khan is dead now!"

"Just do it!"

"Oh God…"

"God?" Ziggy suddenly had an idea as he looked over to his followers, who were cowering before the men with guns.

"You better act fast before I pop one of these monks in the head."

"We're not monks, we're followers of the Great Almighty Zül!" Balthazar spoke up.

"Oh, really?" Luca punched the man in the stomach and pointed the nozzle at his head. "I'll start with this guy if you don't hurry up and shut the power off!"

"…Release them from their prison?" Ziggy remembered the prophecy Balthazar mentioned and realized now was his time to shine. "…Oh, goody."

"Damn it…" Pixel sighed as he started for the glass doors.

"No, Pixel!" Claudette protested. "Don't do it!"

"Sorry…"

"Wait, I'll do it!" Ziggy pushed Pixel aside. "Sorry but you can't trust this guy!"

"Is that a fact?" Vinnie looked Ziggy in the eye.

"Yeah! Pixel's a backstabber and in situations like this, he _always_ has to be the hero! He never thinks about the consequences of his actions!"

"Really?" He suddenly gave Pixel a dirty look.

"Ziggy, what are you doing!?" He whispered.

"Come on, I'll show you how to turn it off."

As the glass doors to the main reactor opened, Vinnie raised his gun as a warning. "No funny stuff, you got that?"

"Of course! Unlike some people, I want to save _my _ass!" He winked at Pixel.

"Pixel, what is he doing?" Claudette whispered.

"I don't know." He shrugged.

As the four men entered the chamber, Ziggy rushed over to the control panel and sealed the glass doors shut, taking everyone by surprise.

"What's going on here!?" Luca asked as he aimed his piece.

"Ziggy, what are you doing!?" Pixel hurried over to the glass. "Ziggy!"

"Pixel, do something!" Trixie ordered him.

Thinking fast, Ziggy reached for the kiosk and revealed the hidden power box. He opened it up and pulled out every single wire except one. As he held it up, Pixel realized what Ziggy was about to do and pounded on the glass even harder.

"Oh my God! Ziggy, don't do it!"

"Pixel, what's going on!?" Stingy tried to hold him back.

"What are you doing, man!?" Vinnie readied to shoot. "What's that wire for!? Why are those doors closed!?"

"You want the power out, don't you?"

"Ziggy, no!"

Ziggy slowly approached the power outlet with the white wire Pixel had warned him about in his hand and took one last look at his friends.

"Bye guys."

As he stuck the wire into the outlet, sparks began to fly and in no time, the entire chamber exploded. The glass doors that sealed the explosion suddenly shattered and landed on top of Pixel and the others as they ducked on the floor.

"ZIGGY!" He cried.

The smoke that filled the entire room started to seep through the broken glass and cloud the remainder of the lab. Pixel got up and attempted to hurry inside to save his friend but they all held him back.

"What are you doing!? Let me go!"

"Pixel, calm down!" Trixie yelled as she tried to fight her tears.

"But Ziggy! We've got to save him!"

"Pixel, please!" Claudette tried to calm him down. "He's dead already!"

"Ziggy!"

Defeated, Pixel fell to his knees and let out a sob while Claudette placed her arms around him. "Pixel… nobody could have survived that. You know that."

"Oh God…" Stingy was still in shock over what had just happened. "Oh God… Ziggy… no…"

"Lord Zül saved us." Balthazar bowed his head. "Just as the prophecy had foretold."

"Oh shut up!" Stingy turned on the man. "You filled his head with all that nonsense! It's your fault he's dead!"

"It isn't nonsense!"

"You killed him, you bastard!" He raised his fist.

"No, wait!"

"Stingy, please!" Trixie grabbed a hold of his hand. "Hurting him isn't going to bring Ziggy back."

"But…"

"Stingy…" She sighed. "Don't."

---

Outside, the men in uniform lined up in a row and fired their weapons at Magik's lethal rock giants. Many succeeded in reducing them to ash while some suffered their massive blows but regardless, several more kept rising from the ground. Havik's constant trembling of the earth only made things worse for them and Diabolik running around, cutting men down with his katana also added to the frustration.

Ozymandias walked over to Khan's lifeless body and nudged it with the tip of his boot and sighed. "Some leader you turned out to be. What about the promise you made me!?"

"All in due time, Ozzy." Khan spoke as he suddenly sat up, startling the man.

"Khan!"

"Khan?" Stephanie turned around after cutting through a rock creature. "No. It can't be!"

"What did I tell you, Stephanie!?"

Khan lifted himself into the air and spread his arms out, creating a rainstorm of fire and brimstone that landed on the fields, wiping out several of the Royal Guardsmen.

"If you're going to kill someone, make sure they're actually dead!"

"I ran that blade through your chest!"

"And you thought that would stop me?"

Khan shook his head and lifted Stephanie from the ground with a simple wave of his hand. When her face came close to his, he gently caressed it and smiled at her.

"I have to admit, though. I'm impressed that you would go to those lengths to try and stop me."

"Let me go."

"Oh, I will eventually. But first witness the true extent of my power."

With a snap of his fingers, the ground began to shake even harder and dwarfed Havik's own abilities as he stood back and watched. In fact, everyone stopped fighting just so they could stand back and watch the center of the palace crack as a tower made completely out of ivory erupted from the ground. At the top of the tower, a circular base with a black dragon etched around it began to glow an ominous yellow as Khan took to the skies with Stephanie in tow.

Once they landed on the platform, Stephanie could see all of Aðalsteinn from where she stood and quivered at the sight of all the damage Reiko had caused. Reiko walked around the area with his arms stretched outward and watched the battle continue down below. Stephanie picked up her sword and attempted to run it into Khan again but with another snap of his fingers, she fell to the floor and dropped her weapon, bound by his magic.

"Not so fast, Stephanie." He grinned. "We still have to wait for our guests to arrive."

"Guests?"

---

From inside the lab, Pixel and the others could see what was going on and gasped at the sight of Khan standing at the top of the tower with Stephanie as his captive.

"Khan's alive." Trixie wiped the sweat off her brow. "Well this isn't good."

"No." Pixel shook his head.

"He's after the Blackheart, isn't he?" Stingy gulped.

"We can't let him get to it. He might send someone to come raid the castle." Trixie continued. "It has to be kept away from him!"

"What do you suggest we do, Trix? Run in and go get it?"

"Yes! We take it and run!"

"How do you know he hasn't gotten it yet?"

"Because the Shadow Dragon would have already destroyed everything." Claudette answered. "Trust me. He doesn't have it yet."

"Then what's he waiting for?"

"Who cares? If we wait for him to make the first move, we're screwed! Now come on, Stingy! Let's go get that damn book!"

"You guys go ahead." Pixel said as he raided the contents of the lab. "I'll be right behind you."

"What are you doing?" Claudette hurried next to him while Stingy and Trixie left the room.

"I've got to suit up."

Pixel slipped on a black glove with yellow cybernetic implants running along the knuckles and palm. After placing on the other one, he opened up a briefcase and held up a silver helmet with a yellow facemask that doubled as a communicator and a triangular black visor placed in the middle.

"Pixel, is that…"

"Yup." He unveiled the rest of the black and yellow armor from under a sheet. "CYRAX."

---

As they ran down the steps following the trail queen Jezelle showed them, they bumped into a familiar face. Startled, he raised his rifle to shoot but stopped when he recognized the beautiful woman stepping back with her hands up.

"Trixie!"

"Leon!"

"Leon." Stingy grimaced but realized now wasn't the time. "What are you doing here?"

"Everyone's trying to defend the palace. Khan's forces are limited but they can regenerate easily. He's waiting for something but we don't know what exactly."

"Come with us." Trixie grabbed him by the arm.

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to get the Blackheart."

"Trixie, that's crazy! If it were to fall into Khan's hands--"

"Which is why we're going to take it and run as far away from here as possible!"

"He's likely to hunt you down if he finds out what you're doing!"

"Good thing you'll be here to protect us!" She smiled at him much to Stingy's disgust. "So let's go!"

"…Okay." He smiled back.

They hurried across the hallways, pausing every few minutes for the rumbling in the ground. Once they arrived in the secret chamber of the castle, Trixie hastily led the way along the path while Leon kept a close eye out. When she reached the round metal door with the inscriptions, Leon gently moved her aside and readied to shoot it down.

"Leon, don't!" She stopped him.

"What? The door's in the way!"

"I have a key."

Trixie reached into her blouse and pulled out the small golden key. After turning it, the door slowly opened and allowed them access into the secret tomb. As they walked in, they could still hear the battle roaring from outside.

"Why have I never seen this room until now?" Leon asked.

"I guess the queen was careful about who she trusted." Trixie said as she approached the altar. "Here it is. The Blackheart."

She carefully lifted the book and closed it, keeping it close to her chest. Leon noticed the small golden box on the table and picked it up.

"What's this?"

As he opened it, his eyes suddenly widened from the intensity of the light shimmering from the Lunasphere. He closed it and gasped, amazed at his recent discovery.

"A Lunasphere?"

"You've heard of them too, huh?"

"This could come in handy."

"Yeah." Trixie nodded. "Yeah, good idea."

"You better let me hold the book too. Just in case."

"All right."

As Trixie handed the book over to him, the ground trembled once again and forced Trixie to lean against the altar. Once the book was in Leon's hand, he smiled at her and nodded.

"Thanks."

Then in an unexpected move, he slipped out a knife from his sleeve and stabbed Stingy in the back much to Trixie's complete horror.

"STINGY!"

As Stingy fell to the floor bleeding but still breathing, Leon wiped the blade clean and dropped it next to his victim.

"A knife to the back…" He started.

"No…"

"If you ask me, it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy."

Trixie trembled with fear and whispered the one name she didn't expect to mutter:

"Chameleon…"


	40. Robbie Reloaded

**XXXIX**

They walked along the streets of Coast City with a clipboard in hand and a list of names ready to be checked off. Their stop: The Pour House. An upstairs bar where the dregs of society, who aren't even fit enough to serve the sleaziest of crime gangs, come together and cause all kinds of mischief as they wait for their opportunity to make it big with a well-known criminal organization.

"You sure we're gonna find some men in here, Douggie?"

"Look, we've got to come up with something! Thanks to Stephanie, no one wants to come near us!"

"But these blokes are like the lowest of the low. They're common gang-bangers! Rap star wannabes! Yakuza rejects! Some of them are even Irish! _Irish_, Douggie! I mean have we really sunk that low!?"

"Snap out of it, Dinsy!" He slapped his brother. "We're going in there and we're going to recruit the best damn army we can to help out Stephanie and that kingdom of hers!"

"What's the point!? They haven't even bothered to come back for us!"

"They will! I promise ya! And when they see us help them out, there'll be rewards galore!"

"How do you know!?"

"Think about it! We're helping royalty! They _have_ to be loaded!"

"Oh, I see…" Dinsdale's eyes lit up. "Yeah, that's very good Douggie."

"Yes, I thought so. You still have that homing device Stephanie planted on your back?"

"Eh?"

"Oh for the love of…"

Doug turned his brother around and pulled off a small patch with a blinking red light on it from the back of his coat and showed it to him.

"Oh."

"We'll need this for our rendezvous."

"Right you are."

"Now come on, brother."

Their welcoming into the bar wasn't a pleasant one. Bottles, cans and glasses of alcohol were tossed at them as well as a few billiard balls and dart sets.

"Hey, knock it off!" Doug shouted as he shielded himself with a dartboard. "Now I've got a business proposition for you lot so if you know what's good for you, you'd best settle down!"

"Oh yeah? What kind of proposition?" One of the gang-bangers asked as he lifted his piece. "Make it quick."

"All right, all right! Calm down!" Doug motioned for him to lower his weapon. "Just listen. There's something that's been on your minds for the longest time and you can't quite figure out what. There's got to be a reason why you weren't able to get in the best crime families this city has to offer. And you know why? It's because you're different than they are!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" One of the Yakuza rejects asked.

"It means that these so-called 'best of the best' of organized crime are afraid of people who don't exactly look like 'em and are worried that they can't fit in with their group. You. Me. We've been held back long enough! It's time to show 'em that we can make it on our own _because_ we're different! Because we believe in something they don't!"

"Which is?" Dinsdale was lost.

"Work with me here." He muttered under his breath before readdressing the crowd. "And when we find out just what that is, we'll rub it in their faces and take this town from 'em!""

"What's in it for us, boyo?" An Irishman spoke up. "You'd better not be gaffing us about."

"Oh, no." Doug snapped his fingers. "Dinsy?"

Dinsdale reached over behind one of the sofas and pulled out a large black briefcase. As he opened it, everyone in the bar became mesmerized by the contents.

"Five grand. _Each_. If you just follow us to Iceland and do this one little job for us. You do your job well and there'll be plenty more where that came from."

"Plus the added bonus that we work together and claim Coast City for ourselves."

"Right you are, Dinsy!" He clapped his hands. "Now then! What do you say!?"

---

"_Berto?"_

"Yes, mama?"

"Berto, say hello to your little brother Magnus." 

"_Magnus?"_

The black-haired eight year-old gently ran his hand along the baby's soft blond patch of fuzz and smiled when he heard him giggle. 

"_He laughed, mama!"_

"I see my brother too!" Little Jon jumped up and down. 

_Jezelle slowly leaned the infant closer to her middle child and smiled when she saw how well the three of them got along. Her smile faded, however, when she saw her husband enter the nursery with a grim look on his face._

"_Hal? What is it?"_

"Trouble."

"What kind of trouble?"

Hal hesitated and quickly glanced over at his children, indicating that this was a conversation for adult ears only. 

"_Of course." Jezelle nodded. "Ozymandias?"_

"Yes, mistress?" The major quickly approached the queen and took the infant in his arms. "Come along, boys. Your mommy and daddy have to be alone."

"_Okay, Ozzy!" Jon grabbed the man's hand. "We play dress-up now?"_

"Quiet."

_Moments later, the king and queen gathered together in the grand hall and spoke with several advisors of the great kingdom of Aðalsteinn. They discussed Remus Tard's corruption and betrayal and his recent actions in HazyTown. They then argued over Number Nine's punishment and his fate. _

"_He must be brought back here immediately." One man said. _

"_He must stand trial!" Said another. "He must be punished."_

"Gentlemen, please!" The king tried to calm them down. "I will speak to Tard myself and find out what caused this madness."

"How will you bring him here? He won't go down easy."

"I sent four of his closest friends to try and persuade him."

"Those young people he often socializes with?"

"The inventor, the miser, the glutton and the rabble-rouser, yes."

_---_

_Almost a week had passed and Berto found himself standing in the council room with his father and all the men. He stood there and wondered why everyone looked so glum and miserable when a tall blond man walked in with his hands shackled. _

_Remus took one glance at the blue-eyed boy then turned his attention directly to Hal, who shook his head in disappointment as he held the magic crystal in his hand. _

"_I entrusted this to you so you could do good. Not evil."_

"Spare me your lectures, your highness. I'm in no mood."

"What possessed you?"

"My senses."

"Remus…"

"I know what you want. I'm not giving it to you."

"Remus, I implore you…"

"The amulet is mine. That's all there is to it. Do your worst."

"If you will not cooperate then we will be forced to send you into exile. You'll be banished from this kingdom forever." 

"_Where do I sign?"_

"_Remus, this isn't you!" _

_Hal could see the darkness in the man's eyes and sighed with defeat. As the guards escorted Remus out, Hal placed a hand on his son's worried face and kneeled down to him. _

"_Berto…"_

"Yes, papa?"

"I…" He paused. "Well… it's all up to you now." 

"_What?"_

"You see..."

"You can't be serious, Hal." A councilman shook his head. "The prince?"

"Why not? He'll mature eventually."

"Up to the point where our curse will allow us."

"_He will train hard and take over the mantle. I have faith in him."_

"How do you know we won't suffer the same fate as Remus?"

"My son wasn't born to be the villain, I can assure you."

_He was right. But he was also wrong. Berto had heard the stories before. He knew how some of the men in uniform that traveled the world as a representative of their kingdom went saving people and facing all sorts of obstacles on an everyday basis. He also knew that most of them met their grisly end eventually and never returned home to their families._

All that training. All that hard work. All those heroics for nothing. Death was inevitable, Berto was old enough to understand that. But to die so suddenly at the hands of an unexpected danger just for saving people? As time passed, the more he thought about it, the more upset it made him. Not only was the army supporting the idea his father had but so did all the inventors and scientists who were now working on a special kind of airship to prepare Berto for his inevitable voyage. He grew weary of hearing their expectations of him and wished to leave his home before his training could begin but was always surrounded by watchful eyes. 

_Until one night. .._

_The skies were black and the rain was coming down hard. Several of the guardsmen that normally watched the gates were out and about making sure the villagers were safe from the storm. Berto stumbled out of bed, fully clothed, packed and ready to go. As he prepared to leave his room, he heard a voice gurgle his name. _

"_Berto…" Magnus, now two, cooed. "Berto!"_

"You…" He paused. "You said my name." 

"_Berto…" _

_The young toddler giggled as he handed his big brother a small brown box. Confused, he opened it up and marveled at the tiny dancer spinning around to the sweet melody that started playing. _

"_It's a music box."_

_Somehow, someway, Berto knew his little brother was saying goodbye to him with this little memento. He closed the box and gave Magnus a tight hug before leaving the room. Afterwards, it was a quick sprint along the hallways and down the long steps that led him into the air hangar. There were several airships to choose from but the only one he saw open was the NX-class freighter that remained parked on the corner of the large storeroom. _

_He remembered what little his father told him about the controls and switched the engines on. In a matter of minutes, the large bunker-type airship wobbled out of the hangar and into the stormy night, where several of the guards immediately took notice. They opted to send a fleet after him but the storm worsened and only made it difficult for them to follow. By the time it was over, daybreak had descended upon the kingdom and Berto would have already made his historical crash-landing in a place not too far from where he was now. _

---

Robbie slowly opened his now gray eyes and lifted his head up in a daze. He could see his beloved sitting by his side, her hand in his and the doctors passing by in the hallway. Once he realized he was in the hospital, he gently nudged her awake and was immediately greeted by a barrage of kisses.

"Oh Robbie!" She firmly pressed her lips against his. "Thank God you're all right! Can you move?"

"Yeah." He suddenly lifted the covers and climbed out of bed. "We should leave."

"Wait, are you sure? I mean you just had--"

"A sudden revelation."

"What?"

"Desirée…" He placed his hands on her shoulders and smiled. "I know everything now! I know my past! I know who I am!"

"Seriously?"

"Yes! I was supposed to be Number Ten! Not Sportakook! _Me_! Can you believe it!?"

"No."

"Neither can I!" He cheered. "Isn't it wonderful!?"

"Robbie, you're starting to scare me."

"Hell, I'm starting to scare _myself_! If all it took was a little ass-kicking to get my memory going again, imagine what I'd have to do just to remember my old social security number!"

"What do we do now?"

"We head back to Aðalsteinn and save the others! They were planning an ambush. Our capture was just a diversion!"

"But how are we going to get there?"

Robbie suddenly displayed his trademark mischievous grin and led his beloved out of the room despite the doctor's protests.

---

Inside the Cave of Despair, Remus coiled up in the fetal position, shaking and sobbing to himself as the voices surrounding him continued to delve deep into his psyche.

"_You despair…"_

"I…"

_"You are remorseful of your actions…"  
_

"I didn't know… I didn't know, I swear it… All the pain… all the anguish…"

"_You have been judged."_

"Don't…" He continued shivering as the cold grew evident in his breath. "…Don't spare me. Relieve me of this hell that I created…"

_"Though my purpose is to judge you and show you the error of your ways, I cannot repair your damages by executing you."_

"What…" He slowly sat up, looking around him. "What are you going to do?"

_"I'm going to give you your last chance, Remus Tard. Do with it as you wish. But do not falter or the consequences will be dire."_

Suddenly, Remus saw a mystical purple haze creep up from beneath the black rocks and surround his body. He could then feel a sudden change inside of him as his injuries healed and his wardrobe magically transformed into one a little more appropriate.

"_You are ready…"_

---

"This thing was made to carry an entire army during times of combat." Robbie explained as he led Desirée inside their lair. "That's why it's so big."

"It would also explain all the pipes, tubes and bunkrooms."

"That's right."

After flying out of the chute, Robbie hurried over to his organ and examined the keys carefully. He ran his finger along the metallic base and found the secret compartment hidden beneath all the dust. He slid the door open and found a large red button that was calling his name and daring him to push it.

"How did you know that was there?"

"I told you…" He said, pressing the button. "It's all coming back to me."

Several lights lowered from the ceiling and began flashing yellow and following it was an alarm that immediately outlived its welcome. One of the walls that stood across the room suddenly split in two and pulled apart to reveal an entire cockpit with two chairs and several monitors that switched on immediately.

"Oh my God…" She put a hand to her mouth. "It _is_ an airship!"

"The king was right after all."

"Then that means your dreams weren't dreams."

"No. Suppressed memories."

"But why did you forget?"

"Because I was afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"Afraid of being the hero." He couldn't help but chuckle. "It's funny, isn't it? Even before I found out the truth, I was still afraid of the same thing."

"But?" She expected an answer.

"But now…" He stepped into the cockpit and took a seat. "…Now I'm ready to do what's right without having anyone tell me I have to. I'm doing this on my own."

"Then count me in."

In the distance they heard a faint rattle. They turned around but didn't see anything that was out of the ordinary other than the room they were sitting in now.

"Must be the wind." Robbie shrugged. "You ready?"

"Let's do it."

---

Inside the Town Hall, Milford and Bessie were getting ready to call it a day when they felt a slight rumble in the ground. They paused and looked outside but saw nothing but the dangling lights that flickered over the large billboard.

"That was odd." Milford said with a hint of nervousness. "Did you feel that?"

"Yes. I wonder what…"

The ground shook again only this time it was faster and more severe. They ducked under the desk and felt the world around them shake as a loud boom filled the air. Once the shaking slowly calmed down, they hurried over to the window to see the billboard tipped over and a flying object hurtling towards the sky.

"Oh my goodness! Ms. Busybody, do you see what I see!?"

"Yes I do! And whoever tipped over that billboard is going to pay dearly for all that property damage!"

---

They shook in their seats but enjoyed the ride nevertheless. While Desirée learned how to work the controls as she went along, she noticed a red light blinking on and off.

"Hey, Robbie?"

"Yeah?"

"What's this light?"

"That light?" He leaned over to inspect it. "It's… huh. It's a homing beacon."

"You mean someone is trying to contact us?"

"Not us necessarily but any airship within the vicinity."

"Looks like we're it."

"Yeah. Weird. I wonder who it could be."

---

"Douggie, nobody's coming!" Dinsdale moaned. "We've been out here for almost an hour now!"

"Patience!" Doug shouted. "Someone will come!"

"Yo, fat man!" A thug walked up to him. "I thought you said we was gonna hitch a ride with one of your friends."

"I don't know what's taking them so long!"

"Douggie?"

"Not now, Dinsy!" He sighed. "I'm trying to think…"

"Yeah but look!" Dinsdale pointed to the sky as a jet stream began to form. "I think that might be them."

"Well it's about time! All right, everbody! It's time we left this place behind and headed out to save the day!"


	41. Nemesis

**XL**

Trixie slowly and carefully turned Stingy over and could see the knife stuck in his back with a small spot of blood on his shirt. She pulled the weapon out and removed his shirt, surprised to see that he was wearing his Kevlar armor beneath it. With a gasp, Stingy sat up and rubbed the wound with his finger while Trixie lovingly wrapped her arms around him.

"Stingy, you're okay!"

"Ow!"

"Sorry."

"I knew that guy couldn't be trusted."

"Stingy, I'm so sorry! I didn't know what I was--"

"Forget it." He shook it off as he stood back up. "We have to get that book back."

"He left in a hurry. Khan's probably released the Shadow Dragon by now."

"What does he want with the Lunasphere?"

"I don't know."

---

At the top of the Ivory Tower, Chameleon approached his master and presented him with the thick black tome. His eyes widened with joy and a smile spread across his face as he flipped through the pages enthusiastically.

"Well done, Chameleon…"

"Chameleon?" Stephanie looked at the young blond-haired man in shock. "It was you all along?"

"Surprised?" He winked at her. "I also found the Lunasphere, my lord."

"Good. You've earned it. Now go and make sure our enemies stay dead, won't you?"

"Of course."

As Chameleon hurried down the steps and back into the castle, Reiko flipped through the pages some more and stopped somewhere along the middle and began reading the inscriptions. His eyes began to glow white as the winds picked up and the skies darkened even more. The fighting on the ground came to another halt as everyone looked up to see a vortex swirling within the black clouds.

All Stephanie could do at this point was stand there and watch her enemy summon forth the greatest evil this kingdom had ever known. Bolts of lightning struck the ground in several places while roaming clouds of black mist circled the village and eventually crept their way to the top of the tower. Once there, they came together and formed into an entire army of men in black armor wielding several deadly weapons ranging from axes, swords and maces.

Their leader, dressed in a black cloak and sporting a heavy gauntlet on his right hand, slowly approached Khan and bowed before him.

"You must be Victor LaSalle, yes?"

"I am, sir." He hissed. "And I sense that you have released us from limbo for a reason."

"Of course. I intend to take over the Shadow Dragon and lay waste upon this stupid freaking kingdom!"

"You have no right."

LaSalle quickly stepped back and pulled out a sword from within his cloak. This sword, however, was unlike any other. The handle was made out of black marble and was shaped like the head of a dragon. The blade was also black but made out of steel and was surrounded by razor sharp teeth.

"I am the true leader of the Shadow Dragon and they shall do _my_ bidding!"

"Well…" Khan stepped closer. "I'm sorry you feel that way."

With the blink of an eye, Khan took over LaSalle's body and forced his neck to twist all the way back thus killing him instantly. He then took the Dragon Blade from Victor's lifeless body and held it up for all to see.

"Any objections!?"

There was no reply. They stood there waiting for their first order while Stephanie winced at Khan's mercilessness.

"Good! Now do my bidding!"

And like that, they spread throughout the entire kingdom and began destroying everything in sight, leaving no prisoners. While the Oberon siblings helped them on their mission, Goggi suddenly emerged from a portal with his laser cannon in hand and began shooting everything in sight.

"Tear it down like the boss man wanted!" He ordered.

"Not so fast, creep!"

From out of nowhere, a stray rocket flew towards Goggi and destroyed the ground he was standing on. As the dust and smoke settled, an armored figure in yellow and black retracted the small missile launcher into its wristband.

"What?"

"Hello…" The visor lowered itself to reveal the man in the suit. "…_Goggi_."

"Pixel." He spat. "We've got a score to settle."

"Yes we do." He nodded as Sportacus, Amelie and Demetrius surrounded him, ready to fight by his side.

"Good." Pixel grinned while Diabolik, Magik and Havik aligned themselves with the green-haired boy. "Looks like we've got ourselves a showdown!"

The two small groups charged into each other and began their final fight while inside the air hangar, Clyde and Dramatik ran past several Dragon Warriors and into one of the airships.

"Why did you bring me here!? I have go be out there in case my siblings get hurt!"

"Listen to me, numb-nuts!" Clyde hissed. "There's a good chance your brothers and your sister are never gonna come to their senses so you'd best take cover in here and wait it out until we can pin them down or something!"

"Why inside this airship?"

"Because look!"

He then activated the landing platform via voice command, where Louie, Jasper and the Professor were already cowering together in a group huddle.

"You see? You'll fit right in!"

"I…" He trembled as he stepped onto the round surface. "…Are you sure about this?"

"I have no idea! I just don't want you getting in the way while we do our thing!"

And with that, Clyde hurried back into the battlefield where he hastily climbed up the ladder of the Track One.

---

In another part of the palace, King Hallbjörn orchestrated an assault on several Dragon Warriors who tried to bring the whole house down with their dark magic. The rapid gunfire coming from the Royal Guardsmen managed to tear through an entire section of them but despite their best efforts, several more materialized from the black mist and picked up where they left off.

"Careful, they can regenerate!" Hal warned as he recharged his weapon.

"Your highness, watch out!" One of the guards jumped in the way of a shuriken attack.

"NO!"

The king charged forward and continued shooting more rounds from his weapon while his men followed his lead. As the shadows fell, new swarms came flying in. There didn't seem to be an end in sight but still they kept at it.

---

"It's happening…" Khan relished the destruction surrounding him. "It's actually happening…"

"You can't die, can you?" Stephanie concluded. "It's all connected to the book somehow."

"Huh?" He turned around and noticed her standing there with a confused look on her face. "Oh, you're still here? Yes, I suppose you would have figured it out sooner or later so I might as well tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"The only reason Remus knew I was the only one capable of helping him reawaken this grand army is because I…" He held the Dragon Blade up once again. "…am a member of the Shadow Dragon."

"You escaped their imprisonment into the Shadow Realm."

"Exactly. I didn't stay long enough to find out where Hallbjörn kept the book but in the end I guess I didn't need to. I have your friend to thank for that."

"What?"

"That Trixie girl was so eager to trust Leon." He chuckled. "I told you one of your own would give the book to me."

Stephanie clutched the Silverfox tightly and raised it in a fighting position. "I can't let you do this, Reiko."

"Of course not." He sighed, raising his blade as well. "Well come on then. If you're that determined to stop me, by all means…"

She rushed towards him with a quick swing of her blade but he deflected it with his own. Determined not to go down so easily, she gave the Silverfox a twirl and swung left and right in a constant pattern while Khan managed to keep up. Their blades clashed and sparked while they moved along the round platform, keeping their eyes on each other's throats.

---

Back down below, Demetrius shielded himself with an energy sphere emitted from his wand and blocked out the rubble that was coming towards him while Havik continued to shatter the earth. When he noticed his balance starting to give in to his opponent's abilities, he abandoned the sphere and unleashed a simple shockwave towards him.

The energy bolt nailed Havik at the center of his helmet and in doing so, electrocuted him to the point of unconsciousness. Demetrius hurried over and noticed the strange imprint planted on the back of Havik's neck.

"What the…" He examined the injection wound closely. "This could explain a lot."

Meanwhile, Magik's creations were falling one by one due to Amelie's expert marksmanship. The brave Frenchwoman dodged a whirlwind of broken glass and disintegrated them into tiny particles with a simple wave of her wand.

"Come and face me, enchantress!" She dared. "It's not your imagination I came to fight!"

Intimidated, Magik lashed out at her opponent but she was too slow. A swift punch in the face and it was all over for her. Amelie rolled the unconscious woman over and could also see the injection mark on the back of her neck.

"Odd…"

Nearby, Sportacus grabbed hold of Diabolik's blade and brought the assassin towards him. As he tried to take his weapon back, he grunted and swore under his breath while Sportacus caught a good look at the marking on the back of his neck. Then, with a single head-butt, Diabolik was down for the count and rested on the grass next to his siblings.

"There you are." He said looking down on them. "Safe and sound."

"You saw the marking, didn't you?" Demetrius asked.

"Yes. If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were injected with something that altered their behavior and left them under Khan's influence."

While they waited for the effects of Khan's drug to wear off on the Oberon siblings, Pixel continued his match with Goggi and ran along the fields releasing another flurry of rockets towards him. Goggi locked onto the small missiles with his cannon, however, and destroyed them in midair before pressing a few keys on his wristband.

"Oh no you don't!" Pixel shouted as he grabbed a hold of Goggi's wristband and broke it with a single grip. "None of your tricks this time!"

"Fine!"

He kneed Pixel directly in the visor, shaking his helmet and temporarily impairing his vision for the moment, and jabbed him in the ribs. The metallic implants in his fist made it possible for Pixel to feel the effects from within the confines of his armor and utter a painful moan.

"Jesus!" Pixel backed away. "How the hell did you--"

A swift kick across the face interrupted him and sent him flying into a group of Shadow Warriors. They growled ferociously and raised their axes to behead the Gizmo Guy but his moves proved too fast for them as they soon found out. He grabbed their weapons and broke them in half, using the razor edges of the axes to cut through the dark-clad warriors.

"Your fight's with me, Pixel!" Goggi shouted as his cybernetic eye began to glow red. "Or do I need to remind you?"

"No need!"

Pixel was then blindsided by the intense laser coming from Goggi's implant that was burning through the walls of his yellow armor.

"Not good! Not good!" He gulped.

"You know after you took my eye, I was a little bitter at first. Though I should probably forgive you and say thanks! After all I wouldn't be able to do this to you without your help!"

"Your welcome?"

Thinking quick, Pixel kicked the boy to the floor and tapped a small button on his chest plate. A small compartment slid open and out flung a digitized net that trapped Goggi in place and made it difficult for him to move.

"Nice try."

Using his laser eye again, he burned through the net and went after his opponent with a series of punches and kicks to the torso. Pixel took the abuse and used his armor to his advantage, lifting Goggi up and throwing him back across the field. The green-haired techno wiz shook it off, picked up his laser cannon and rushed back over but Pixel was ready for him this time. He flung a small dart that stuck onto his shooting arm and in seconds, his weapon began to graft onto his skin much to his horror.

"What did you do to me!?"

"Nanites." Pixel was grinning behind the facemask. "Little itty-bitty robots that adapt to their surroundings and leave no mess behind!"

"Aah!" He fell to the floor in pain as his hand and gun merged into one. "How!?"

"I'm a genius, moron. I know pretty much everything."

"Well…" He raised his gun and pointed directly at Pixel's head. "Let's see if you know how to survive a nasty gunshot to the head!"

"Oh and did I mention? They're full of viruses."

"What?" Goggi could now feel the pain in his chest as his implants began to short circuit. "You… ugh… you did what?"

"Later…" He waved goodbye as he returned to the battlefield to help.

Goggi curled up into a ball and shuddered from the intense pain swelling inside of him and in a matter of moments, he stood absolutely still with his gaze directed to the heavens. The red light on his cybernetic eye then lowered to a dim, indicating Goggi's inevitable death.

---

They heard an alarm go off and eventually a loud commotion coming from outside the airship. They all stood up and looked out the windows, where they saw several pilots and copilots suiting up and boarding the airships that hovered above them. One by one they blasted off into the skies and followed the Track One, which was acting as the flagship.

"What are they doing?" Louie asked.

"It lookth like they're taking to the thky."

"So what do we do?"

"What do you mean 'what do we do'!? We juth thtay here like Clyde thaid!"

"Well I reckon we oughtta give 'em a sendoff!" Jasper walked over to the controls. "Now where's the horn on this thing?!"

"It's an airship, you fool!" Dramatik nagged. "It doesn't have one!"

"It's gotta be here somewhere, consarn it!"

"Jasper, don't touch anything!"

"Here it is!" He pressed his hand against a large red button that immediately turned blue.

"_Ignition sequence activated."  
_

"Say what!?"

"Jasper, you foolish bumpkin!"

"Uh-oh."

In no time at all, the black and white airship named "The Raider" crashed through the roof of the hangar and followed the rest of the fleet. Lines and lines of various looking airships were now in formation and swarmed through the skies, following Clyde's command.

"All right, boys!" He said through the radio. "We've got a lot of trash to clean up! So let's get busy!"

The swirls of black mist arrived just in time to be shot down by the hailstorm of gunfire coming from the large fleet. Figures shaped like dragons and other demonic entities managed to claw through some of the ships and bring them down but the combination of gunfire and repulsor ray blasts made it difficult for them to stay flying for long.

Inside the Raider, Jasper struggled with the controls as everyone else panicked. He paused for a moment to scratch his chin and assess their current situation.

"Yep." He nodded. "I reckon I done screwed up."

"Ya think!?" The Professor screamed. "Get uth out of here!"

"Wait a minute! Don't Sportacus and Clyde usually talk to that computer when they need something?"

"Yes!" Dramatik stood up. "Yes! Excellent idea, Jasper! Computer!"

"_Yes?"_"Hang on, I'm the pilot!" Jasper interrupted. "I'll do the talkin'!"

"Oh very well…"

"Computer!"

"_Yes?"_"I'd be much obliged if you could land this here scrap heap back on the ground on account of Dramatik bein' such a pansy and all!"

"_Unable to verify command. Switching to translator." _

"Huh?"

"_Yeeeee-haaaaw! Now what can I do ya for, old timer?"_"Now _that's _more like it!" Jasper clapped his hands and laughed. "Now listen up! We need this thing on the ground fast! My friend here's about to blow his top and his chunks if ya know what I mean!"

"_Well I'd like to help ya, stranger, but I can't do that just yet. Looks like you need yerself an override command cuz that green airship over yonder is callin' the shots!" _

"I knew it! Clyde will be the death of us all!" Dramatik wailed. "OH THE PAIN! THE PAIN!"

The Raider swirled through the clouds and joined in the fracas that was taking place in the skies. The weapons systems automatically came on and took to shooting the black misty creatures that came their way, dodging those that suddenly resurrected in the process.

---

Chameleon slinked his way out of the palace and into the harbor, where he headed for the dock with the Lunasphere in his hand when a voice suddenly called out to him.

"Hey!"

"Hmm?" He turned around to see Trixie walking over to him with Stingy in tow. "Oh hello, dear. I see your boyfriend made it out okay. Nothing personal, of course."

"Of course."

Angered by his betrayal, she spun around and kicked the Lunasphere from his hand, which rolled along the wooden boardwalk and dropped into the water. Speechless and totally aghast over this sudden loss, Chameleon slowly turned his head as the thunder in the sky joined the noise of the battle and the rain slowly fell.

"Oh great…" Stingy sighed. "Now you've done it. Now you've really pissed him off."

His eyes sharpened and the most menacing of glares aimed directly at Trixie but she didn't care. She stood there with the rain falling down on her, staring right back at the man who betrayed her trust.

"No…" Stingy shook his head. "Don't even think about it, Trix."

"Come on, Stingy."

"Look, Trix. I love you. All right? I've gotten into a lot of hairy crap because of you and I've always turned the other cheek because of my feelings for you. But this here? This is _not_ going to happen."

"But--"

"Listen to me. We lost Ziggy. We lost Bob and Astral. Nobody else has to die. We've got people out there fighting for their lives and they could use our help right now. There's no need for us to get killed like this. The guy's just too damn good!"

"…Yeah." She sighed in defeat. "I guess you're right. Besides, it's raining. Ugh."

"Yeah." He shuddered. "Eww. If he gets away, we'll track him down with an airship no problem."

"Yeah. Good idea." As they began to leave, Trixie was tempted to turn around and take one last look at him. "I wonder how those things work, though."

"What things?"

"Those flash darts of his." She pointed at Chameleons belt pouch, which contained his trademark weapon of choice. "You know what I mean? He just flings them at somebody and the next thing you know, they're gone. I wonder…"

"Yeah…" Stingy was unsure as to where she was going with this. "…Yeah, I wonder."

"Uh-huh…" She gave him The Look. "Aren't you curious? I mean, doesn't it just bug you?"

"Yeah…" Stingy sighed, knowing what she was after and conceded, realizing it was no use in arguing. "Okay. Let's go ask him."

Slowly they approached the fuming Chameleon and waited for someone to make the first move. Deciding it was now or never, Stingy held Trixie back and lunged forward only to get kicked right in the face. Trixie went next but took a jab in the stomach and a boot across the chin. The two of them quickly recovered and managed to break Chameleon's sudden leap into the air and caught him, throwing him down on the hard wet floor.

Wasting no time, Stingy attempted to stomp on the assassin but his aim was off as he soon received a punch in the knee and a kick to the back. Trixie took another swing but he grabbed her arm and elbowed her back, causing her to shout in pain. While she moved to the side, Stingy returned and managed to grab one of Chameleon's arms in a lock but his opponent proved to be a limber one as he suddenly ran along the walls of the docking bay and escaped from Stingy's grasp, kicking him back down to the floor in the process.

In the one second in took for Chameleon to regain his bearings, Trixie seized the opportunity to grab a hold of him and land several punches across his face. He placed his arms around her neck but she wasn't having any of it as they dropped to the floor and choked each other. Chameleon, however, go the upper hand as he rolled her to the side and kept lifting his foot up, kicking her in the face several times until she grew dizzy. Desperate to save her, Stingy hurried over and grabbed Chameleon by the legs, pulling him away from his beloved.

A faulty move, unfortunately, as the assassin managed to swing his leg across Stingy's face and send him falling yet again. Trixie leapt back up and hammered Chameleon in the spine with her joined fists and landed another punch across his cheek. Went she went for another punch, he grabbed her arm and twisted it back, forcing her to scream out even louder than before. He shut her up immediately, though, when he grabbed her by the neck and threw her into an old window. Angered, Stingy grabbed a stray pipe laying on the floor and slammed it into his opponent's back. Chameleon wailed slightly but immediately turned around to kick the weapon out of Stingy's hand and twist it back like he did Trixie's. He then took the young miser on a roller coaster ride of pain as he repeatedly pounded on his chest, close to the heart area, then finished with a massive blow to the ribcage.

In retaliation, Stingy head-butt Chameleon not once, not twice, but three times until he noticed the man in black was now bleeding from the nose. As they both fell to the floor, woozy and extremely disoriented, Stingy slammed his dislocated shoulder against the hard wall in order to pop it back into place. Once he did, Chameleon was ready for more and attempted to strike Stingy down but a sudden blow to the chest and face stopped him in his tracks. Stingy used whatever time he had and managed to land another hit across his face then a massive uppercut that threw him back against the wall. When Stingy tried for another hit, Chameleon grabbed onto his throat and began squeezing with all his might while Stingy struggled for air and began to turn red.

But before it could go any further, Trixie got up and pulled out the knife Chameleon used on Stingy then stuck it right in his side. This caused Chameleon to let go of Stingy and beat down on Trixie some more, finally knocking her out with a powerful roundhouse kick. Determined to win this fight now, Stingy charged into Chameleon and tackled him into the river, where they wrestled for their lives underwater. Stingy tried to grab onto his neck and return the favor but the man in black was just too quick for him. He found himself being choked once again and could see the hatred and evil in his eyes as the oxygen bubbles left his mouth.

But Stingy also noticed his one chance for survival. Using their closeness to his advantage, Stingy reached into Chameleon's belt pouch and pulled out exactly what he needed. Then, with a swift knee to the stomach, he managed to break free from Chameleon's grasp and waved with a smile, showing off the rings that were around his fingers. Confused, the assassin looked down and noticed all of the pins on his flash darts had been removed thus rendering them activated. In a bright flash of light, the man known as Chameleon disappeared, never to be seen or heard from again.

Pleased with the results, Stingy swam up to the surface and crawled onto the deck as the rain continued to fall and the lightning filled the sky. But just as he got up, he immediately fell back down into the water, being trapped by the massive chunk of floor that inexplicably collapsed. As he struggled to push through and make it back up to the surface, Trixie came around and noticed she was all alone inside the bay. She stood up and walked around, following the trail of blood and water and noticed the floor on the deck had collapsed.

"Oh God…" She gasped. "Stingy… Hold on, baby. I'm coming!"

She dived straight in and immediately saw Stingy struggling with the floor piece and fighting for air at the same time. When she swam over to him, she placed her hands beneath one side of the deck and on the count of three, they managed to lift it up and return to the surface safe and sound. As they floated with their heads sticking out of the water, they gasped for air and took a moment to relax.

"What…" Stingy gasped. "…Took you so long?"

"Well you know…" She smiled. "…I was just… waiting for the right time to save you, that's all."

"Oh…"

As Stingy began to sink from exhaustion, Trixie pulled him back up and held him close, resting her chin on his head.

"I'm not losing you again, mister!"

"Okay…"

She closed her eyes and despite all the cold water that surrounded them, she could feel his warmth and kissed him.

"You're mine." She sighed with relief. "You're all mine…"

---

The airships and the smoke monsters continued to ravage the skies with Clyde commanding the aerial forces of good and Khan controlling the darkness from the Ivory Tower, where his swordfight with Stephanie was growing more intense. When the Silverfox got caught in the teeth of the Dragon Blade, however, Khan had the Pink One where he wanted and slid his sword along the back of her arm. She fell to the floor and with it, her weapon. She then cradled her wound and received a swift kick in the face from Khan, who only looked down on her and laughed.

"Do you see now? You can _never_ defeat me, Stephanie!" He then levitated her over the edge of the platform and grinned. "Just say the word and I can make the pain go away, my dear."

She just looked at him unable to say anything. She was worn out and exhausted. As she lowered her head, Khan released her from his grasp and watched her fall. She plummeted down to earth with her arms stretched out and her eyes closed. She could feel the wind blowing against her and her hair swaying to nature's rhythm. At last she could rest. At last she could be at peace.

But fate dealt her another hand, however, as an outstretched arm reached out and grabbed Stephanie's. She opened her eyes and looked up to see the last person she expected to save her.

"Remus?"


	42. Her Finest Hour

**XLI**

He pulled her inside the Ivory Tower and took a moment to dust himself off. Stephanie stood back and tried to process everything that was going on in her mind. Remus, wearing his old orange and red tracksuit, had just saved her life. The same Remus Tard who had made her life a living hell and the same Remus Tard she tortured not too long ago.

"You saved me."

"Yes I did, Stephanie."

"But… why? And how? I busted your kneecaps. I broke your fingers."

"Thanks for reminding me." He cracked his knuckles. "Would you believe I finally realized the error of my ways?"

"So… the cave worked then?"

"Yes. Now what do you suppose we do?"

"I'm not sure. I've killed Khan twice now but he won't stay dead!"

"Think for a moment. There's something you've overlooked."

"The amulets?"

"What about them?"

"Khan created them."

"And?"

"And… maybe… because he made them with his magic…" She thought for a moment. "…they're a contributing factor to his abilities."

"Which would explain…"

"Why he never fully ran out of magic to start with. Because they were enough to keep him stabilized. But if I destroyed them--"

"His power would reduce in half."

"But the Vitasphere."

"A Vitasphere is just like a battery. Eventually they run out. This is your chance, Stephanie. Destroy the amulets and you weaken him."

"But how do I do that?"

"How did you destroy the Earth amulet the first time we met?"

Stephanie had another revelation and looked up at her old rival with a smile. "You're right."

"Go. I'll distract him long enough to wear out his energy."

And like that, they parted ways. Remus climbed up the steps of the tower and met with Khan face to face while Stephanie went back down to collect what she needed.

"Remus." Khan greeted the man. "Aren't you supposed to be sulking in a cave somewhere?"

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

"Oh, look." He rolled his eyes. "Don't you see what's going on? The Shadow Dragon have been awakened! The kingdom is finally crumbling before me! There's nothing you can do now! I won! Now drop the goody-goody act and maybe, just _maybe_, I'll give you a position as my personal nose-hair trimmer."

"I can't let you get away with this, Reiko."

"Oh. And I suppose you're gonna try to kill me too?"

"Not quite."

Remus back-flipped just in time to avoid Khan's sudden lashing and kicked him in the knees to throw off his balance. He then lifted him by the ends of his black robe and tossed him across the platform.

"Well…" Reiko coughed as he stood back up. "Somebody's been practicing."

"You never forget old moves like that if they're good."

"Let's see how good they are then."

He swung his arms back and sent forth a stream of energy that Remus dodged with quick precision. One cartwheel and three somersaults later, Khan received a painful uppercut from Remus and landed on his back.

"So what do you think?" He taunted. "Pretty good, huh?"

---

The Track One began to suffer heavy blows from the dragon fire as it plowed its way through the burning skies. Clyde shook in his seat from all the rough buffeting and struggled to keep his beloved airship in one piece.

"_Warning. Left wing severely damaged."_"First of all, it's called a 'fin'! Second of all--crap!"

"_Warning. Right fin severely damaged."_"Crap!"

"_Warning. Third engine offline."_"Crap!"

"_Warning. Vending machine completely destroyed."_"NO! Not the vending machine! Damn it! Take _me_! I'm old!"

As the thickness of the shadow figures surrounded the airships and weighed them down, all hope seemed to be lost until…

"What the--!?" One of the pilots exclaimed as a beam of energy shattered an entire row of black smoke. "Who's flying that airship!?"

"Is that… No, it couldn't be…" Another squinted his eyes. "Wait! It is! It's an NX-class airship!"

From out of the black fog came a flying metal dome with two fins sticking from the sides, one at the top and rocket boosters creating a trail of white smoke from behind. The clunky exterior wasn't as impressive as the other, more updated airships but what it lacked in design it made up for in firepower.

"Hellooooooooo, baaaaaaaaaaaby!" Robbie exclaimed as he plowed the way for his friends in the skies. "Yeah! Take that! And that!"

"Oh, Robbie!" Desirée exclaimed. "I'm so hot for you right now!"

"Later, precious! Right now we've got a job to do!" He then turned to his passengers, who were all huddled together in the ship's den. "You boys ready back there!?"

"YEAH!"

"LET'S DO IT!"

"LET'S KICK SOME ASS!"

"Thy will be done."

The bunker airship swooped down low and opened the bottom hatch where, instead of the usual rope ladder, a tube ejected its passengers onto the battlefield armed and ready to fight.

"Yeah!" One of the thugs shot down a masked Dragon Warrior. "Man, I was hoping I'd get to bust a cap in someone's ass!"

Sportacus, Demetrius, Amelie and their allies eyeballed the men in saggy pants, leather jackets, fur coats and sunglasses, and shrugged as they continued doing their part in handling the Shadow Dragon.

"Whatever." Sportacus said as he punched out two of the men in black.

"Sportacus! Demetrius!" Stephanie called out to her friends, leap-frogging over a pair of fallen soldiers. "I need your crystals!"

"Stephanie!" Sportacus rushed over to her.

"Sportacus, I need your crystal!"

"My crystal?"

"What for?" Demetrius asked, wiping the blood from his wand. "Is something wrong?"

"I need to destroy the amulets like Astral said. Otherwise--"

"Khan's magic will forever remain intact." The monk suddenly realized.

"Yeah."

The two men nodded and removed their crystals from their person and handed them over to Stephanie, who looked around for the Professor.

"Where's Norton?"

"The Professor?" Sportacus gave the area a quick glance. "I don't know. Maybe he's hiding."

"WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Several voices shouted from above as an airship passed by, leading everybody to suspect the worse.

"I think I found them." Stephanie sighed as she hurried back up the tower. "I'll be back."

"Stephanie, be careful!"

She ran up the steps and activated her earpiece, hoping for one of the passengers on the Raider to respond. In no time at all she was already speaking to Dramatik.

"_Stephanie! Get us down here!" _

"Dramatik! Let me talk to the Professor!"

"_The pain! The pain!" _

"Dramatik, cut the crap and put Norton on!"

"_Profethor here!" _

"Doc, I need your crystal!"

"_What for!" _

"I have to stop Khan, that's why! Who's piloting the ship?"

_"Your boyfriend ith but I think Jathper ith altho! I don't know, ith kind of hard to tell!" _

"Do you see the Ivory Tower? That's where I'm headed! I'm going to reach the top and when I get there, I need you to drop the crystal so I can catch it!"

"_What if I mith!?" _

"Then the game's over."

---

"All right, boyth!" The Professor said as the Raider hovered directly above the tower. "Lower it a little bit more, Jathper."

"Hang on, hold yer horses!"

"Open the hatch!"

Louie just stood there confused. "Who, _me_?"

"Yeth!"

"I thought everything was voice activated!"

"Oh yeah. Hatch!"

The area where Louie stood on suddenly propped open and the man would have fallen to his death if it weren't for Dramatik's sudden burst of heroicness.

"DRAMATIK! DON'T YOU FRIGGIN' DROP ME!"

"Oh dear…" He gulped. "That's never happened before."

---

Inside the bunker ship, the pilots were taken by surprise by an unexpected visitor as he knocked Robbie over the head and set his sights on Desirée.

"Tombstone!"

"You thought you could do that to me and get away with it!?" He shouted as he came after her.

"How the hell did _he_ get up here!?" Robbie shrieked as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I followed you from the hospital and waited inside your lair." He said as he lifted a heavy pipe from the floor. "Now it's time to die."

"Robbie, sweetie?" Desirée was now adjusting her hair. "Whatever happens, keep flying this thing."

"What are you going to do!?"

"I'm going to put him out of my misery."

He swung the pipe at her but she took it from him easily and jabbed him in the stomach with it. As he crouched over to breath, she swung it across his face and broke his jaw in the process.

"Oohhh…" He moaned as he crawled towards the orange chair. "…You… you…"

"What?" She dropped the pipe and ran over to him, kicking him in the stomach. "You didn't think I had it in me, did you?"

"I'm going to kill you!"

He swung at her again with his fist and almost clipped her but she turned him around and shoved him against the door. She twirled again like the expert dancer that she was and kicked him right between the eyes, forcing his back against the buttons on the wall. The doors opened and the alarms went off as the winds picked up. Desirée held onto one of the pipes for support and watched as Tombstone helplessly flew out of the airship and into the black abyss.

She poked her head out and watched as he passed through one of the smoke monsters and came out as nothing more but a charred skeleton. He was already in pieces by the time he had landed on the ground. Desirée smiled and closed the door then returned to her seat next to Robbie.

"What happened!? Did you win!? Honey?"

"Everything's okay now." She kissed his cheek. "Let's clear the skies, shall we?"

---

Remus had Khan in a headlock and egged the man on, knowing that he was starting to wear himself out. The more he struggled, the faster Remus found another way to bind him.

"What's the matter?" He grinned. "Too fast for you?"

"On the contrary…" He broke free from his grasp and ran the Dragon Blade through Remus's chest. "…You just weren't fast enough."

"Remus!" Stephanie screamed as she arrived at the top.

"Oh now what!?" Khan groaned. "You want me to finish you off right here and now?"

"It's not going to be that way."

Stephanie connected the two crystals and looked up at the Raider as it circled the tower from above. She could hear the crew griping and getting at each other's throat through her earpiece and gulped when she noticed Khan charging his fists for a magic attack.

"Guys?" She started. "The crystal, please?"

_"HERE IT COMES!" _

Khan extended his fingers and released the same strands of red energy that killed Astral but this time, Stephanie managed to deflect them with the completed Trinity Crystal as she placed it at the center of the Silverfox and swung it like a baseball bat. The strands instead hit Khan in the chest and pushed him back while Stephanie channeled the energies of the Trinity Crystal into the four elemental gems. She shook in place, feeling the pulsating energies flow through her body and into the Silverfox until finally they shattered into billions of particles one by one. The white light that suddenly appeared and pierced through the black skies blinded everyone down below as well while Khan felt himself deteriorate from inside.

"NO!" He shouted.

"Yes!" Stephanie retorted, giving her blade a swing.

"You demonic pink cheerleader…" Khan growled as he stood up and came face to face with her. "Do you realize what you've done?"

"Yeah. I do." She smirked. "And now we're going to end this once and for all. I don't even need my sword."

"Huh." He chuckled softly. "Tell me. Do you even know how to kill me for good?"

"I'm gonna cut your Goddamn head off." She responded with venom. "Then I'm gonna watch you bleed all over the floor."

"You've made me a very angry man."

"And for my next trick, I'll make you a dead one!"

He raised his arms to strangle her but her hard-as-a-rock uppercut left him blindsided and stirring on his feet. He swung at her rapidly but she proved to be just a little faster than him, jabbing his ribcage repeatedly and elbowing his jaw twice in a full circle.

"You're too slow, old man!"

"Old man?"

He managed to catch her in the face with the backend of his hand and kneed her in the stomach. He then grabbed her by the hair and stuck out his tongue, attempting to run it down her neck but she broke away quickly and slammed his jaw shut, forcing him to bite down on his tongue. As the blood filled his mouth, his rage only intensified as he tackled her to the floor.

"Tricky girl…" He spat on the floor. "But you'll have to do better than that."

"If you insist."

She launched herself from the ground with a spinning kick and landed several hits against his chest and stomach. She then picked up the Silverfox and held it over him as he laid there on the floor, writing in pain.

"Do it…" He chuckled. "Do it. You know what will happen next. You kill me and I'll only come back stronger than before. I might not have my magic anymore but I can rest assured that you won't be getting rid of me anytime soon."

Stephanie hesitated and lowered the blade. Deep down she knew he was right. From what she understood, the only way to get rid of the Shadow Dragon was to kill its leader and its leader had already cheated death twice before. And the leader before that died with no consequences whatsoever. So what was she to do now?

"You see? You can't do it, can you?"

"I can…"

She closed her eyes and focused. She had to think. Maybe it wasn't Khan she was supposed to kill. Maybe it was something else. Maybe the only way to destroy the Shadow Dragon was to destroy their source of power. She remembered Khan mentioning he was a member and if it was true, he would perish along with all the others.

"Of course." She suddenly realized.

She walked over to the altar Khan had made and picked up the Blackheart. Concerned all of a sudden, Khan lifted his head and dropped his jaw in fright.

"Wait…" He said. "Stephanie, what are you doing? Put that book down!"

"No."

"Put it down, Stephanie! You don't know what you're doing!"

"Of course I do."

She opened the book and tore out a page. Khan could feel his heart bend as some of his dark army suddenly disintegrated out of sight.

"Aha." She grinned.

"PUT IT DOWN!"

"Nope. No way. No how. I win. You lose."

"STEPHANIE!"

"Suck it."

She closed the book and dropped it on the floor, running the Silverfox through its hardcover. Once the blade came into contact with the contents of the book, a splatter of black ink found itself spreading all over Stephanie's boots.

The destruction of the Blackheart set off a chain reaction that eliminated all of the Shadow Dragon and its ghastly creations. The creatures in the air suddenly coiled up and vanished in a bright spark of energy, the warriors dropped their weapons and faded away into nothingness while others turned to ash and melted under the rain.

"She did it!" Sportacus cheered. "She actually did it!"

"Way to go, Steph!" Pixel hollered. "I knew you could do it"!

"Uh-oh." Ozymandias gulped as he tried to sneak away. "Time to leave, I think…"

"Going somewhere?" Doug asked as he and Dinsdale cornered him with a nail and board in their hands. "Hello. Name's Doug Piranha. This here's my brother Dinsdale."

Back at the top, Khan could feel his skin drying up and his insides churning as the smoke began to seep through his pores. He desperately tried to reach Stephanie but his hand fell off and crumbled upon impact with the floor.

"S-Stephanie…" He said with his now raspy voice. "I… should have… killed you…"

"Should have, could have. Didn't." She said as she raised the Silverfox.

"No…NO!"

"I got you, you son of a bitch."

And with that, she swung the blade and decapitated Khan's worn out body, releasing a small geyser of magma instead of blood. Once he stopped twitching, his remains blew away with the wind, leaving Stephanie alone with a burning puddle of lava and a small pile of ashes.

"Stephanie…" A faint voice called out to her.

"Oh my God. Remus!"

She hurried over to him and kneeled beside him as he shivered on the floor, bleeding to death from his wound.

"It's…" He paused for a moment. "It's pretty bad, isn't it?"

"Remus…" She closed her eyes and bowed her head.

"It's okay, Stephanie… it's okay…"

"Thank you. For everything."

"No, Stephanie. I should be thanking _you_…" He smiled at her. "…I didn't want to die as the enemy. You gave me one last chance at being the hero… so thank you."

Remus closed his eyes and drew his final breath with a smile on his face. Moments later, Stephanie returned to the bottom and was approached by all her friends, who greeted her with hugs and congratulations.

"Stephanie, you did it!" Stingy hugged her. "Amazing!"

"Way to show them, huh?" Trixie winked.

"Thanks, guys." She blushed.

"STEPHANIE!" Clyde rushed over and picked her up. "Oh my angel! Are you all right!?"

"I'm fine!" She giggled as she pressed her lips against his. "I'm so glad everyone made it out okay!"

"Uhh…" Trixie frowned. "_Almost_ everyone."

"What do you mean?"

Pixel placed a hand on Stephanie's shoulder and sighed. "Ziggy didn't make it."

"…Ziggy?" She gasped. "Oh my God…"

While Stephanie took a moment to register the sad news, the king and queen appeared with Helmina behind them and noticed the Pink One's sad expression. Helmina quickly wrapped her arms around Sportacus and kissed him.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

"Yes."

"Stephanie." Hallbjörn said softly. "I'm sorry about your loss. Truly, I am. Everybody has lost somebody today and they have good reason to mourn. However, I must ask you and your friends to follow me. There is something I must show you."


	43. Journey's End

**XLII**

He woke up surrounded by his loved ones, who looked like they had all just seen a ghost. He tried to move but the pain in his back and the burns on his arms and legs prevented him from doing so. He could barely even move his head to notice that he was in a full body cast.

"Oh, crap." He sighed. "What happened?"

"You did something very, very stupid." Pixel shook his head.

"But it turned out to be very, very brave." Trixie leaned in and gave the boy a kiss on the cheek. "I'm proud of you, Ziggy."

"Wait a minute, I didn't die!?" Ziggy moaned. "And I missed out on the action _again_!?"

"Oh, Ziggy…" Stephanie shook her head before covering him with kisses. "I'm just glad you're all right!"

"Yeah, we really thought we lost you." Stingy nodded. "And trust me, that's a feeling I didn't enjoy."

"Thanks guys." He smiled. "I wish I could give you all a big hug but… well, _y'know_."

"The doctors will have you up and running again in no time." Jezelle said as she entered the room with the nurse. "But for now, just rest."

"I take it this discovery pleases you, Stephanie?" Hal asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"It pleases all of us, sir." She beamed. "How did you come across him, though?"

"Yeah, we were all in the lab when it happened." Pixel added. "There's no way anyone could have survived that explosion. Right?"

He turned to Claudette, who simply gave him a nod. "Yes, that's right."

"I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation to it all. But given the odds against Ziggy's survival, I would probably assume that what happened in the lab was nothing short of a miracle."

"You mean…" Ziggy's eyes widened.

"Call it what you want. Luck. Good fortune. _Divine intervention_."

"Hallelujah."

---

Dramatik walked in expecting a loud and unforgivable exchange of words but instead he found himself wrapped in the arms of his little sister.

"Magik?"

"Dramatik!" She exclaimed. "I'm so sorry! We all are, aren't we?"

"Sorry, brother." Havik shook his hand. "We knew what we were doing but we couldn't stop it."

"As for your words?"

"It's all part of that drug Khan injected into us." Diabolik explained. "We left searching for adventure and a way to cash in on our abilities. I guess we didn't expect to get roped into something this big."

"Well allow me to be the first to say… that you're all a bunch of fools and your recent display of stupidity over the last few days only proves that I am the smartest of you all! So there! No arguments! You see this butt? Kiss it!" He bent over and wiggled his bottom. "Pucker up your lips and plant a big, fat, wet one right between the--"

"All right, don't push it!" Havik gently shook the ground to shut his brother up. "You were right. We were wrong."

"Come, my family!" He brought his siblings in for a group hug. "And I shall tell the tale of Stephanie the Pink! Sportacus the Blue! Robbie the Rotten! And… oh, forget it. It's nice to have you all back again."

---

The bunker-ship was parked above the old harbor where Trixie and Stingy had their last dance with Chameleon. As Robbie and Desirée climbed down the ladder, the young woman could see a faint sparkle in the dark water.

"Do you see that?" She asked.

"See what?"

She hurried down to the bottom and landed safely on the boardwalk, where she then proceeded to examine the river closely. Her eyes surveyed the calm body of water and noticed the sparkle once again when she squinted at the piece of floor that collapsed not too long ago.

"There!" She pointed. "Do you see it?"

"Yeah." He was surprised to admit. "I do. What is it?"

"I don't know but it's coming this way."

She crouched down and scooped up the glowing yellow ball from the water and noticed the crescent moon design etched around it.

"Oh my God, Robbie…" She showed it to him.

"It's a ball."

"Not just any ball. It's a Lunasphere."

"What do we do with it?"

"It's your call."

Something inside her told her to give this to the only person who could benefit from the magic of the Lunasphere.

"We've got to make a stop."

"Where?"

Moments later, they found themselves sitting in the living room with Ms. LaFleur as she examined the Lunasphere closely. With a nod, she handed the orb back to Desirée and Robbie.

"It's a Lunasphere all right."

"But…" She quickly glanced at its glowing center. "Don't you want it? I thought you might… you know… bring back your… daughter."

"Then there would be two of you."

"But Ms. LaFleur, we both know I'm really not your daughter. I don't even know why I took her name. I just felt…"

"Connected to me?"

"Well yes but--"

"Then that's all that matters, dear." She placed her hands over hers and Robbie's. "I like to think of my creations as my children. Every doll, every puppet, every single toy I've made was given the same amount of love and affection. I like to think they're all a part of me because of that. And you, my dear sweet Desirée, will always be a part of me no matter if you're my real daughter or not."

She wiped a tear from her eye and gave the old woman a hug, which made Robbie cringe for a moment. But as she let go, she wondered yet again what to do with the Lunasphere.

"So if you don't want it then what am I supposed to do with it?"

The old woman simply chuckled. "Make a wish, dear. Make a wish."

---

Ozymandias walked inside his room and the next thing he saw blew his mind and left him totally speechless. His closet door was open and there were several women's dresses strewn all over the floor, several stacks of adult magazines were cut up into confetti and the floor was suddenly very shiny and slippery.

"What the…"

Out came Gloria, Ritchie and Robo-Hound who were playing with toys that, according to them, looked like a purple rocket ship.

"You two!" He shrieked. "What are you doing here!?"

"Well we got bored waiting for those soldiers to quit playing war so we came into your room and started playing with all your toys!" Gloria said with a sheer innocence.

"Those aren't toys for you! Those are grown-up toys!"

"Why do grown-ups play with toys?"

"Because!"

"Just because!"

"I couldn't find any comic books in your trunk, Ozzy!" Ritchie said as he dug inside said trunk. "I just found a bunch of old magazines with naked people on it!"

"You what!?"

"How come those boys don't like to wear underwear? Don't they get cold?"

"Listen here!" Ozzy was on edge now. "Get out of that trunk _this instant_!"

"Hey, cool!" Ritchie pulled out a black leather mask. "Gloria, check it out! He's got Halloween masks!"

"Wow, really!?" She rushed over to his side. "Hey, look! This one comes with a red ball in the mouth!"

"I wonder why?"

"Maybe it's for when you go to a party and play 'bobbing for apples'!"

"Oh yeah!"

"Gloria! Ritchie!"

_"Arf!" _

"Oh, what do _you_ want!?"

The mechanical pooch could smell Ozzy's betrayal and took an instant disliking towards him. He growled and lowered his head to attack when Gloria interrupted.

"Hey, Ozzy? Do you have any more of this sticky stuff?" She held up a tube of lubricant. "We're trying to skate on the floor and this stuff helps a lot!"

"PUT THAT AWAY NOW!"

"Ozzy!" A voice caught him by surprise.

The next thing he knew, a pair of handcuffs were restraining him and preventing him from strangling the young children. He turned around and saw a guardsman holding him back and king Hallbjörn frowning with disappointment.

"Oh, Ozzy." He shook his head. "Why did you do it? Why did you betray us and leave us to the dogs?"

"I couldn't help it. You had promised _me_ the title of Number Ten! Not once did you ever mention anything about Berto taking up the mantle! I wanted my moment to shine!"

"Well you'll have plenty of time to do that in Grand Turok."

"Grand Turok? No Man's Land?"

"The same."

"But that's a prison for roughnecks! Muscle-heads! Jocks and big muscle-bound… on second thought, take me away!" He then snatched the tube away from Gloria. "Give me that! Where I'm going, I'll need all I can get!"

---

The next day everyone boarded the two airships and, the Track One and the bunker-ship now dubbed 'The Robbie Rocket'. It was time for the heroes to return home but as Stephanie finished taking a head count, she was surprised to see Sportacus standing with Helmina at the castle entrance. He was wearing a white suit and his hair was combed all the way back. Judging by the looks of things, Stephanie concluded that he wasn't coming back with them.

"So you're staying?" She asked him as she and Clyde approached the Royal family. "That's it? No more saving the day for you, Sportacus?"

"My job is done, Stephanie. I've done all I can."

"You've done all that and more." She assured him.

"But with the curse finally lifted, nature will begin to take its course. My parents…" He looked back at them and sighed. "There's so much more that needs to be done here. Repairs throughout the kingdom and the palace. A new military has to be constructed and we'll have to appoint a new leader to help with the reconstruction of Mutari."

"But who's going to protect LazyTown? After we get home, the Trinity Watch will disband. Are they going to send us a replacement?"

"I think LazyTown's in safe hands now thanks to you, Stephanie." He smiled. "As for a replacement, I think you'll get along great with him. You've known him all this time and not once has he ever turned his back on his duties."

"You mean…"

Stephanie turned to Clyde, who was also surprised by the breaking of the news. With a nod, Sportacus took out his crystal from his pocket and handed it over to his nephew.

"The power is yours now, Clyde."

"Uncle Sporty…" He gasped. "There's got to be some kind of mistake. I mean--"

"No mistake, Clyde. You _are_ ready for this."

Hesitantly, Clyde took the crystal from his uncle and opened the slot in his chest emblem. He carefully tucked it in until he heard the click and like a computer, the crystal memorized its new layout and upgraded Clyde's chest emblem, which was glowing bright green. Now, instead of the closed fist with the words 'RIGHT ON' surrounding it, there was a closed fist with the number 11 on the bottom.

"Prince Clydesdale of Aðalsteinn." Hal said with pride. "Number Eleven."

"Eleven…" He said softly. "…I'm… number eleven?"

As everyone applauded for the newly appointed hero of LazyTown, Clyde took a moment to hug his uncle and his grandparents.

"Good luck… _son_."

"Thanks Uncle Sporty."

Pixel came out of the palace carrying not only his luggage but Claudette's as well. Before they climbed up the ladder, he took one last look at the castle.

"Are you sure about this?"

"I'm sure." She smiled at him. "I think I can use a break from the office."

"That's exactly what I want to hear!"

He kissed her on the cheek and proceeded up the ladder, singing to himself like a happy newlywed. Whether or not the two of them would work out as a couple was beyond them.

Robbie stopped by for one last farewell and stood face to face with the Man In Blue, who he still considered in many ways to be his arch-nemesis.

"Robbie."

"Sportakook."

"Leaving?"

"Yeah. Staying?"

"Yes."

"Well then…" He slowly but surely held out his hand. "I guess this is goodbye."

"For now at least."

Their hands were joined and their eyes were locked onto each other's for more than a few seconds and after their reluctance to act on their feelings, they eventually embraced each other in a tight hug. They were enemies no more. Now they were brothers.

"Take care, big brother."

"You too, little bro."

Moments later, the king, the queen and the prince of Adelstein, along with all the members of the Royal Guard, waved goodbye at the two airships as they blasted through the sky and headed back for LazyTown.

_**Sometime later…**_

They stood at the altar facing one another and holding each other's hand while they waited for him to arrive. Everyone in attendance, including the Piranha brothers and their new gang of low-rent miscreants, was getting emotional and teary-eyed. Some, however, were getting a little anxious over the sudden disappearance of the pastor and wondered he could have gone. The soon-to-be-married couple could hear their guests muttering to themselves softly and worried over the state of their nuptials.

"Where could he be?" She nervously bit her lower lip. "He's not the kind of person to disappear like that."

"We've been waiting for half an hour now." He grunted. "Maybe we should--"

"No! I am _not_ postponing this wedding!"

"Actually, I was going suggest that we throw in a ringer."

"A ringer?"

"Yeah."

She grew quiet for a moment as she tried to comprehend what exactly her beloved meant. Then, from the corner of her eye, she saw the solution sitting in the second row at the very end of the seat.

"Oh, I get it."

"What do you say?"

"He's not even legal."

"Who cares? After the song and dance, we'll head to Vegas."

"Yes! Great idea!" She then turned to a member of the attendees. "Ziggy! Can we borrow you for a moment?"

After a few minutes of them trying to talk him into it, Ziggy finally agreed to do this one favor for his friends and stepped onto the altar, carrying the Good Book in his hands and wearing a white and blue suit and tie.

"You guys sure about this?" He asked them before going through with their plan.

"We're all ears… _Zül_." She winked at him.

---

Their first official kiss as husband and wife caused an earth-shaking round of applause and cheers that rang into the heavens. Later, when everyone settled into Milford's surprisingly spacious backyard for the reception, Ziggy stood by the refreshment table and was approached by his followers.

"You did a wonderful job, sire. Those readings were really spot-on and--"

"Okay, let's drop the whole Zül thing, okay? I'm not a god. I'm not a deity of any kind. I'm just me."

"Sire?"

"I don't expect you to understand, really." He shook his head. "But I'm not the guy you thought I was. I almost died trying to win their respect. I guess I didn't know until now that I always had it."

"Right from the start." Pixel suddenly appeared with Claudette's hand in his. "Nice work covering for the padre."

"Yeah, thanks. What happened to him anyway?"

"Let's just say the communion wine bottle is going to be a little bit lighter for next week's mass service."

Amongst those dancing under the setting sun were Sportacus and Helmina, who arranged for their visit to be exclusively for the wedding. She noticed he was smiling and held his chin up.

"I take it you're proud of your big brother."

"I would say so, yes."

"Will there be more wedding bells for another prince of Aðalsteinn, I wonder?"

"Only time will tell."

The newlyweds danced as well, happy to be in each other's arms but for Desirée, she had even more reason to be happy. She pulled away from him slightly and looked deep into his eyes.

"Robbie, dear?"

"Yes?"

"There's something I have to tell you."

"What is it?"

"I used the Lunasphere."

"Oh really?" He looked at her suspiciously. "Is that why we had the wedding today? I wondered about that…"

"No, I had this date planned for the longest time."

"Oh. Then what did you wish for?"

"If I tell you, you won't panic or react negatively?"

"Dear God, woman." He playfully mocked her. "What on earth do you have to say that could possibly frighten me?"

"Well…"

"Yes?"

"You're going to be a daddy."

Much to her surprise as well as his own, Robbie smiled and planted a sweet and loving kiss on his wife's lips. It was un unexpected move but memorable nonetheless. Nearby at a table, Trixie sat on Stingy's lap with her arms wrapped around his neck and her head resting on his. He embraced her warm touch and inhaled her sweet scent when he suddenly heard something he wasn't quite expecting.

"I love you."

"What?" He gently pulled her face to his. "What did you say?"

"You heard me." She smirked. "I love you with all my heart. And if I ever told you otherwise then you'd know I'd be lying."

"Where's all this coming from?"

"I almost lost you. _Twice_. I figure a third time couldn't happen without you at least knowing the truth. But why tempt fate?"

"Why indeed?" He kissed her and took her in for another hug. "Just remember who said it first, okay?"

Just then, Clyde arrived on the scene in his uniform while his crystal went off. "Looks like trouble up ahead!"

"Trouble?" Trixie suddenly sat up. "I could go for some of that!"

"What!?" Stingy gulped.

"Looks like we're gonna have to cut this party short." Clyde said dully.

"Actually…" Stephanie appeared, zipping up her black and pink uniform. "I'd say the _real _party is about to begin."

"Back to the usual?"

"Back to business."

He turned his pink angel around and dipped her, pressing his lips against hers in that steamy and passionate way he did so well. When they parted, he put her back on her feet and the two sprinted towards the oncoming danger that was headed for their quaint little town with the rest of their team close behind.

What started as a journey to save her home became a test of faith and love to save herself. From the heroic allies she met to the diabolical fiends she defeated, one girl managed to accomplish so much in so little time and eventually mature into the strong young woman she is today. In The Long Run, Stephanie and The Trinity forever silenced the Kingdom of Darkness and destroyed the Curse of the Shadow Dragon. And to think it all started in a place called LazyTown.

**THE END**


	44. Final Note

**I meant to post this a lot sooner. Sorry. But before I go… yeah, I'd better do this first:**

**DISCLAIMER: **

_**LazyTown created by Magnús Schéving, property of LazyTown Entertainment, Nick Jr, etc; The Piranha Brothers sketch written by Monty Python; Watchmen written by Alan Moore, property of DC comics; Mortal Kombat created by Ed Boon and John Tobias, property of Midway Entertainment; Star Wars: Return of the Jedi belongs to us the fans and not to that no-good fat bastard George Lucas, pimping out his franchises like overworked whores just to earn a quick buck. **_

_**The following songs belong to their rightful owners:**_

"_**The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by The Tokens**_

"_**Ol' Man River" from the musical "Show Boat" - written by Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein II**_

"_**The Greeks Don't Want No Freaks" by The Eagles**_

"_**Take Me To The River" by Talking Heads, written by Al Green**_

"_**Little Drop Of Poison" by Tom Waits**_

"_**Wham City" by Dan Deacon**_

_**"Last Good Time In Town" by The Eagles**_

"_**Nineteen" by Tegan & Sara**_

_**"Lady Marmalade" by Patti LaBelle**_

_**"We Are Family" by Sister Sledge**_

_**"Have A Drink On Me" by AC/DC**_

_**"So Close" by Jon McLaughlin**_

_**"Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy" by Queen**_

_**"Waiting For A Girl Like You" by Foreigner**_

_**"All Night Long" by Joe Walsh**_

_**And now a word from MASC…**_

Well that was a hell of a thing, wasn't it? Right now I bet you've got a lot of questions for me so I guess I'd better explain myself.

Right now, some of you are thinking, "How did a guy in his early 20s become involved in writing fanfics for a kid's show? What was the attraction? And why did he decide to make the stories randomly absurd comedies loaded with nonsensical action?"

Simple. I have the neighborhood kids to blame. Or thank, I should probably say. All that babysitting I do on my spare time (free of charge, I might add) was bound to lead to the inevitable sleep-over while the parents were out partying the night away. So that's what happened. One morning I woke up in the living room and found the kids sitting in front of the television watching what I thought was some sort of Sesame Street knockoff.

But then I saw a moving blue blur bouncing back and forth across the TV screen and when it finally stood still, I was baffled at what caused it all. This tall dude in a blue suit who happened to have one of the craziest mustaches I've seen since Groucho Marx. I sat down and watched for a moment, trying to understand what was going on and when I saw Robbie for the first time, things got even weirder. The chin. The hair. The attitude. Not only was he a villain but he was a funny villain whose views on children reflected my own once upon a time…

And then SHE came along… oh, yes. The Pink Avenger. I have to admit I was a little spooked when I first saw her because:

a) She was too damn cute

b) Her singing was amazing

c) Her dance moves reminded me of some kind of ancient fighting technique that would enable a person to split open an opponent's head with just a swift kick to the face

Granted, that last one seems a little farfetched but if you think about it, the whole thing kind of makes sense… huh? Anybody? Anybody? No? Oh, hell…

Anyway, I was captivated by the scenery, the catchy songs, and the nutty schemes Robbie came up with just to chase Sportacus out of town. The show was funny, that much is true. And the visual style looked like something out of Tim Burton's more pleasant dreams. I got to writing my first two LT fics using my own brand of bizarre and random "humor" just to see what kind of reaction I would get.

They were met with fairly positive reviews but I thought it was time to try something a little different. I thought about writing a story that still contained my brand of absurdity but at the same time had a decent plot to go along with it. I wanted to make an Epic LazyTown story. Thus, "The Trinity" was born.

Now "The Trinity" was supposed to be a one story deal ONLY. But then the reviews came pouring in and I was totally in shock to find that they were all positive. So then I got to thinking that maybe the story had potential to expand a little bit and as I went along the way I could add some new characters, some new plot points and some ridiculous situations to put the characters in. By the time I started working on "Who Do You Love", there were two major twists I wanted to add to the series that I don't think had never been done in the LT fandom before.

1. Robbie & Sportacus - Originally, the idea was to have Sportacus and Stephanie turn out to be brother and sister as pointed out early in the story. But then I realized that it would make a much better story if Robbie and Sportacus were actually brothers instead. The idea of two enemies turning out to be brothers the entire time really spoke to me so I dropped the S&S sibling plot like a newborn giraffe and worked around it in "Who Do You Love", leaving behind all kinds of crazy hints. By the time "In The Long Run" came, I knew exactly what I was going to do by introducing Sporty's parents and setting the stage for "Kingdom".

2. Action! Action! ACTION! - If there's one thing the Marx Brothers taught me, it's that comedy always works best when there's a heavy situation weighing down on the scene. That way, when the funny stuff starts, you'll appreciate it more and look forward to seeing what happens next. And I always thought the more action there was in a scene, the more laughs you could squeeze in. There have been several LT stories with plenty of action, I won't deny. But I doubt anyone has ever thought of crashing Sportacus's airship, blowing up parts of LazyTown and turning Stephanie into an adorable killing machine. I see some of you have started and I say continue! Don't be discouraged!

Now then… you're probably wondering, "Why Clyde?" Because! Almost every story here in the LT archives is about Stephanie and Sportacus or Stephanie and Robbie or even Sportacus and Robbie. Fine. Great. Whatever. If that's your cup of tea then by God you will drink it! But I always thought Stephanie should get with someone who was her own age and like Sportacus in some ways except… well… y'know. I wanted him to be completely insane. I developed Clyde for a play that never made it to the stage and a couple of years later, when I was considering turning the sequel to "The Trinity" into a love story, I thought about the comedic potential in basing Stephanie's love interest around someone with a multiple personality disorder. To my surprise, almost everyone took an immediate liking to Clyde. So he stayed…. Eventually, that is.

Writing for Khan was a lot of fun. I wanted Stephanie to face someone a lot darker than Remus and a lot more dangerous. I wanted him powerful yet funny in his own twisted way. He ended up being a cross between The Joker and Shang Tsung. Neat, huh?

And then of course there was the whole issue over the possible "M" rating. Why didn't I go through with it, you ask? Well think of it this way. My stories were like my children. I watched them grow up from a simple "K" rating to a strong and edgy "T". I don't think I was ready to watch it grow up into a mature "M" just yet. Although, "Jingle Bell Rot" _did_ make the cut. But whatever. That was a gift.

So there's something I have to know. Was everyone really that upset over Bob's death? Wow. Oh well. I want to do a sequel series and bring back all my OCs and place Stephanie and the gang in all kinds of new situations sometime in the future. Good thing we're about to start a new year, huh?

But as of now I'm totally burned out and fresh out of ideas. I still have my musical to work on for school, which is actually coming along rather nicely, and a crossover story that I probably won't start on until mid January or early February. After that, a certain someone and I will be working on a story together through a joint account and if everything goes well, The Trinity will be back in a new series.

So that's it, I guess. But before I close this story for good, I'd like to thank everyone who read and stuck with me from the very beginning.

18lzytwner, you're a sweetheart. You were the one who got me hooked onto reading LT fan fiction and gave me a reason to come crashing in with my offbeat humor. Without your support, I wouldn't have made it to "Who Do You Love?" Thanks doll.

KittyUK, I owe you my thanks for showing me that writing the mushy stuff isn't so bad after all. Despite my many protests, I guess I can say that I've gotten the hang of it now. Oh and thanks for crowning me the King Of Comedy. Appreciate it.

melissaIvory, you've kept me in line more than anyone else. You were always there to remind me and keep the subplots in motion if things started to sway and go in another direction. And your love for Robbie has no limits. You truly are his Biggest Fan. You have my gratitude.

And to anyone else out there who may have read but was too shy to review… I give you my thanks.

Okay, that's it. I'm off.

Look for LT/MST3K coming soon… in the not-too-distant-future…

**With love, **

**  
MASC**


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